


Orion 2.0

by the100clexa237



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 3 years since mount weather, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Another war is coming, Azgeda Clarke, Azgeda Clarke Griffin, Azgeda!Clarke, Clexa, Clexa Endgame, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone thinks Clarke is dead, F/F, F/M, Klark has a wolf, Klark is a badass now, Lexa Lives, Minor Character Death, Roan Klark and Ontari are super close, Slow Burn Clarke Griffin/Lexa, a very long road to Clexa endgame, canon world but completely different season 3 onward, clarke doesn't really care about the arkers anymore, clarke is Klark now, clarke leaves after mount weather and doesn't go back, like super slow burn, more plot centered, not much fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:27:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the100clexa237/pseuds/the100clexa237
Summary: War is looming over the coalition once again, but things have changed since the time of Mount Weather. It has been over three years since the day she left Camp Jaha, and Klark has moved on from her life before Azgeda. The rest of the coalition believes her to be dead, and Klark is content with that idea, happy to stay where she is.As High General, Klark is second only to the Queen and now leads the army of Azgeda. Her life there is far from perfect, but Klark would gladly endure far worse to ensure the safety of her people.But then Azgeda is summoned to war in the south to face a new threat alongside the rest of the coalition, threatening everything that she has created for herself in Azgeda, and Klark is left to rely on the successfulness of Queen Nia‘s plot in order to avoid war.The only way that the Commander was getting Azgeda’s army was if she came for it herself. But she would never do that... right?
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Ontari, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Roan & Klark & Ontari (friendship)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 218





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to another Azgeda! Clarke fic and I hope you like it!
> 
> (This is the edited rewrite/ continuation of my fic Orion, but Orion is not completed so I recommend sticking with this one if you are interested)

November 2152, Azgeda

** Klark **

The frigid winter air burned her cheeks as her war party rode briskly towards Anolia. With a hundred gonas at her back, High General Klark led her army back to the capital, the swift Azgeda wind whipping at their thick fur coats. Her gonas, fresh from yet another victory against the Raiders, sat hunched low over their horses for warmth, heads ducked to avoid the thick snow that rained down on them relentlessly.

Her army had easily crushed the newest group of attackers, losing only five gonas in the process. But despite their strong victory, the battle had still been long and grueling as every single Raider had to be killed before they could leave.

It was the law: any banished person to re-enter the lands of the coalition was to be killed, but Queen Nia used it to demonstrate the strength of Azgeda, striking fear in the hearts of the other clans each time they heard of the relentless cruelty that the High General's army showed in battle.

As always, they had been merciless in their attacks, and while Klark did not care for unnecessary death, her attacks on the Raiders were entirely justified. The Raiders had been attacking her people for years, had killed  _thousands_ of innocents, so she was remorseless in the wake of their slaughter. They had gotten what they’d deserved.

Plus, Klark had been told that Nia’s tactic was very effective, that the clans already feared her despite the fact that nobody outside of Azgeda actually knew who now commanded its army. It was Azgeda’s best kept secret, and the only reason that she had not been forced to leave.

Not that Nia would ever let her go willingly - or  _alive_ , for that matter - but Klark knew that her former people would have done anything to get her back. And, even if it was just to keep Wanheda out of Nia's hands, Klark believed that even the Commander would have helped them.She scowled at that awful thought.

Either way, Nia’s plot to usurp the Commander meant her identity - and existance - was still hidden, and it would be kept that way until the Queen decided to make her move. The rest of the coalition would never find her here. Not, if everything went according to plan, until Nia wanted them to.

Fortunately, the number of Raiders was now dramatically decreasing due to the success of Klark's army. There had never been a problem with the people banished from the coalition before, but for unknown reasons, there had been an oddly large amount of people spared the death penalty in the past few years, so there had been more people banished than ever before. It was likely the reason that they’d had the courage to attack in the first place.

From what she gathered, something had changed the Commander to make her slightly more lenient than before the war with Mount Weather.  _Wouldn’t that have been a nice change three years ago when she left me to die_ , Klark laughed to herself bitterly.  _How ironic that the Commander would only change after that. Maybe leaving me had an effect on her._ Klark snorted, the gona by her side giving her a quick glance.  _As if_ _._ Klark had moved on from that time in her life, and so had everyone else.

* * *

They rode through the day, the mountains and thick snow covered forests of Azgeda quickly flying by as the day passed. The frigid air burned any uncovered skin as they rode, and each member of her army was wrapped in several layers. It was cold as hell, even for Azgeda.

But despite the bitter weather, both Klark and her gonas still became more alert as they neared the city, all eager to return to their own beds and ready to see their people once more. After three months away, Klark was beyond ready to see Roan, Ontari, and Atlas again, eager to finally be reunited with her family.

Klark still found it strange that she had found a home in the two most unexpected people possible: the man who captured her and the girl who made her life hell. Yet, they were now the only people that she considered family. It didn’t matter that they were all assholes - even her wolf, on occasion - three months was far too long to be away from them.

But fortunately, they were close.

The army crested the last hill and Anolia came into view in the valley below them, the capitol easily visible in the bright snow. Like always, Klark’s gaze was immediately drawn to the castle as she took in her city.

Made up of five turrets connected by high walls and large dark windows, the castle was a symbol of the power and wealth of the Queen of Azgeda. Klark honestly had no idea how it had been built without technology, but she had never bothered to ask. It really wasn’t important.

The army slowed and her gaze left the castle and flitted over the beautiful city that sprawled around it, wisps of hearth smoke drifting through the air as she took in the other buildings. The snow was untouched on the roofs of the stone structures that filled the city, and many of her people were still outside despite the cold. Surrounded by a large wall, Anolia was highly protected and very well fortified.

The army rode into the valley and through the tall city gates that had just been opened by the guards. The wide cobbled streets of the capitol were filled with people, all crowded near the various shops to make room for the passing army. Klark marched her gonas through the city and towards the war camp that lied by the castle, lifting a hand to acknowledge the hundreds of people cheering for their return.

* * *

Klark led her army through the entrance of the war camp, pulling Adrian to the side as the rest of her gonas continued on towards their stables. She watched them each dismount their horses before she turned away, nudging Adrian towards her own.

Klark dismounted her horse immediately upon their arrival, absently handing Adrian’s reigns to one of the stable hands. She led him away and Klark quickly turned back towards the entrance, walking towards the castle as fast as she could without running. It had been three months since she had seen Roan and Ontari, and Klark was in a rush.

Just as she began walking onto the castle grounds, Klark heard hoof steps behind her. Without missing a beat, Klark moved to the side as a brown horse trotted past her, not paying the rider any mind.  _Wait_ . Klark looked back at the rider, who was blatantly ignoring Nia’s (unwritten) law that banned horses from the castle grounds.  _Idiot. He is going to get himself killed._

Klark glanced over at the castle longingly before she turned and looked closer, scrutinizing his form half heartedly. Based on his Trikru leathers, the rider was a messenger. She sighed in resignation, knowing full well that Nia would kill him for his ignorance. Klark had far more important things to do, namely reuniting with her family, but there really was no point in his death.

Mentally berating herself for caring, Klark glanced around furtivley, checking for anyone within earshot. Detecting none, she still took several paces towards the rider before getting his attention with a sharp whistle. The horse stalled as the rider turned to look at her, and Klark briefly scanned his features in a practiced manner. Wind-swept brown hair, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes that were looking down at her curiously.

She walked a few steps closer. "Get off the horse." His experssion shifted to one of confusion, and Klark crossed her arms. "Trust me on this, Trikru. It is in your best intrest to listen to me." He looked at her doubtfully, but there must have been something in her expression because he begrudgingly did as she said.

Once he stood on the ground beside his horse, she began to walk towards the city and motioned for him to follow, but this time he didn't move. "What do you want? I am not moving until you tell me why you want me to follow you." Klark turned around exasperatedly.  _Damn Trikru and their questions_ _._ They didn't have the time for this. “Queen Nia will behead most anyone who dares ride a horse on castle ground. No leniency for ignorance, no matter the reason." 

His eyes bulged, shock making his jaw drop, and Klark just turned and started walking again, not providing any other form of explanation. Only an idiot would ignore that, and there was no point in saving the life of an idiot. "Now hurry up or you die."

Wisely, this time, he followed.

She led the messenger and his horse out of sight of the guards, stopping beside a small building. Klark was not going farther than she had to. “There is a stable a couple of paces that way," she said, pointing in the direction of a cluster of buildings. "You can tie your horse there, then walk to the entrance.”

He turned to follow her advice, but stopped and turned back. “Why are you helping me?” Like hell if she knew. Klark lifted a shoulder. “I was feeling generous." He looked at her expectantly, but Klark was not going to say more. The messenger was keeping her from her family, and Klark was not intrested in conversation. Unfortunately for Klark and her plans, he didn't leave. “May I ask who you are? I am Darian kom Trikru, a messenger for Heda.”

Her expression didn't change at the revelation, but internally she was screaming. _What the hell does she want? There hasn't been any contact from her in over a year, so why now..._ Klark would have to unpack that little fact later, though. Darian wanted to know her name, and that was not happening. It would be far tooeasy for someone to discover who she was once he told the Commander of their encounter. Klark could not risk that.

She shrugged. “It is not important.”Klark turned towards the castle, looking back as she went. “Good luck with Queen Nia, Darian.” 

Klark could feel his eyes on her back as she walked away.

* * *

The guards shut the doors behind her, and Klark walked through the dark granite hallways, the arched ceiling high above her. Like usual, the familiar hush of the castle was broken only by the sound of her footsteps as she walked, eager to see her friends but not able to run as she desired. Klark increased her pace once she reached the end of the north hallway, practically running up the spiral staircase to the topmost level where she lived.

Her chambers were large enough that they now served as the primary spot where she, Roan, and Ontari met, and Klark knew that they would be there now. Her family would be expecting her to return sometime this week, and they would not risk missing her. Not when she had been away for so long. 

She was certain of that, but Klark was also sure that Roan and Ontari had actually just adopted her chambers as their own. Maybe not to sleep in, but Atlas loved it there and they would be with him. 

She wished she could be here more, but they each had different roles in Azgeda, and Klark’s dedication to her own meant that she had to spend long periods away, protecting her people.

It was far from a perfect life, but she would not give it up for anything.

* * *

Arriving at the landing, Klark opened the door and slowly stepped inside, breathing in the familiar cedar smell of her chambers.  _Finally_ . She let her stoic mask fall away as she shut the door, glancing around for any sign of life.

Klark found it immediately. A quick movement from her sitting area to the left revealed Roan, who was already moving toward her. A smile - the first in months - broke across her face as they both moved forward, colliding into a tight hug. “ _Finally_ , Klark.” Roan muttered. “Its been forever.”

Klark was relieved behind measure to be home but she never one to waste such an opportunity. "Careful, Roan,” she said with faux seriousness, voice slightly muffled by his shoulder. “I might start to think you care about me.” He laughed and Klark sunk into the embrace.

It really had been too long.

She pulled away after a long moment and looked around. It was strange that Atlas hadn’t been the first one to greet her, and he and Ontari had to be here somewhere... “Where is-“ Roan gestured towards her sitting area, not needing Klark to finish the sentence to know what she was asking.

Klark walked closer and there they were: Ontari lying face down on the sofa, asleep, and Atlas lying on her feet, very much awake. His tail was beating furiously in excitement, and Atlas jumped off the sofa as a Klark moved closer. “Comfortable, were you?” Klark asked, scratching the wolf’s soft snow-colored head as he happily wound around her legs.

Naturally, Atlas didn’t respond

Roan moved to stand beside her, glancing over at Ontari’s motionless form before saying, "She fell asleep and, well, I wasn’t about to risk my life to wake her.” Klark laughed sympathetically, remembering the disastrous outcome of the last time Roan had tried to wake her. “Anyway,” he continued, “I need to grab a sword from my chambers. See you in a minute?” Klark nodded easily and he quickly strode out of the room, pausing at the door to wave before disappearing down the stairwell.

Atlas looked after him curiously before trotting away to lay on his bed of pelts, and Klark turned towards Ontari, contemplating the best way to wake her.  _How should I-_ An idea popped into mind and Klark’s eyes lit up gleefully.

Disregarding both her sense of self preservation and the memory of Roan getting his ass kicked, Klark took a few steps closer to the sofa and the very comfortable-looking woman lying in repose. Gentle was not a word that could be used to describe their relationship, and in form, Klark leaped onto Ontari’s back, roughly landing in a sitting position.

The North tower was safe - something they all knew - and that was doubtlessly the only reason why Ontari didn’t immediately reach for her knife; something that Klark was grateful for, considering the fact that she’d be dead within seconds. Instead, Ontari quite literally growled at her, and Klark knew that she believed that there was only one person it could be; Roan.

Klark held back a laugh, slightly impressed with how similar to Atlas she sounded. “If you don’t get off me in the next two seconds, Roan, I will  _destroy_ you.” Deeming the risk of actually being destroyed insignificant, Klark just moved to sit on top of her completely, crossing her legs neatly.

“While being destroyed sounds fun and all, i’m a little tired for that right now.” She felt the annoyed form below her freeze at the sound of her voice, and Klark smirked, falling back onto the sofa. “I thought you would miss me more than this, Ontari. It  has been three months, you know, and you’re still  _sleeping_ .”

Her eyes flew open and Ontari flipped over, nearly knocking Klark to the ground.  _Nearly_ , but she managed to stay in place. Ontari stared up at her with an extremely gratifying - and rare - expression of shock and Klark grinned cheekily. “Miss me?”

Not acknowledging the fact that Klark was now sitting on her lap - her legs, really - Ontari brushed off her shock and sat up fully, bringing them even closer. “How long have you been here?” she asked, ignoring Klark’s question.

Klark shrugged a shoulder. “Not long.” She didn’t elaborate. Ontari opened her mouth - no doubt to press further - but Klark spoke first. “So,  _did_ you miss me?” she asked, repeating her question teasingly. Rolling her eyes, Ontari pulled Klark into a fierce hug, which was more of an admission than anything.

It really was good to be back.

* * *

**Morning**

Klark lifted an eyebrow as a breathless messenger pushed her door open, hesitantly stepping into her chambers. Not wasting any time, he quickly informed her that Queen Nia demanded her presence in the throne room.

She dismissed him, waiting for only a moment before exiting her chambers. Klark was not scheduled to report to Nia until later today, and theories flitted through her mind as she walked down the stairs of the tower and through the dim hallways of the castle.  ‘ _Maybe she already has another mission for me...’_ , Klark quickly discounted that idea. She had only just returned, and there were other Generals. ‘ _It is probably just news or my progress.’_ That seemed unlikely as well. 

Of course, Nia would gladly summon Klark for something insignificant, but she had a feeling that today was something more important. Perhaps it was in relation to the Commander’s message...

Klark stopped outside the huge double doors of the throne room, waiting for the guards to open the doors before she strode in. The high ceilings towered above Klark as she walked into the large room draped in woven tapestries. Queen Nia was seated on her throne in the center of the room, the white bone crown on her head nearly glowing in the darkness of the chamber, and Klark walked to an appropriate distance before bowing. “My Queen. I hope I did not keep you waiting.”

“We have more important things to discuss than your tardiness, High General,” Nia sneered. “A messenger has come delivering a letter from the Commander. Apparently, the south is preparing for a war and Azgeda has been summoned to join them.” Klark’s eyes widened marginally.  _The Commander’s message was a call to war?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and leave comments/ kudos if you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

November 2152, Azgeda

** Klark **

Though she had been unsure of what to expect from the meeting,  this was an outcome that Klark had never imagined. “A war, my Queen?” she asked, voice remaining confident despite her inner turmoil over the matter. Klark‘s survival was reliant on a constant display of her strength, and time had just reminded her of that fact: appearing weak in front of the Queen was a death wish.

Nia nodded once, strangely unperturbed by the news. "The southern clans have managed to put themselves on the brink of war once again, and Azgeda has been summoned to join them."

Klark exhaled in resignation.  _Fuck_. A war was the last thing she wanted, and having to fight it in the  _south_ made it far worse. Still, she nodded curtly, ready to follow Nia’s orders. 

“What will you have me do, my Queen?" Nia looked immensely pleased with whatever she was about to say as she leaned back on her throne. “You will do nothing, High General.”

Klark blinked. “My Queen?” It was not like they had a choice in the matter. Azgeda would be forced to fight in this new war whether they wanted to or not, per the laws of the coalition.

Still, Klark was intrigued. Queen Nia would never choose to abstain from war without an ulterior motive, and she wanted to know what that motive was.  _It is probably some plot against the Commander_ , she thought to herself, knowing exactly how often Nia attempted to steal the Commander’s power.

Klark was honestly surprised that the Commander hadn't executed the Queen for her betrayals yet. There was no doubt that she deserved it and it was not like she would be missed by her people...

There must be some logical explanation, but it would undoubtedly be a long while until Klark encountered someone who knew it.

The Queen spoke, oblivious to Klark’s thoughts of her demise. “I have a plan to undermine the Commander." Unsurprised by the revelation, Klark just nodded slowly, wondering what the hell Nia was planning. She had suspected that the Queen would do  _something_ , but Klark knew that it was nearly impossible to evade a direct order from the Commander.

History had proven that she was clever enough to know when a clan was not following her orders, and unless Nia's plan was truly brilliant, it was unlikely to succeed.

Still, Klark was curious. “May I know your plan, my Queen?” Klark asked, not daring to question her while there was information she wanted. Still, Nia waved her off. “It will be discussed in the Generals meeting later today. I will not explain my plan twice."  _Right_ . She should have expected that.

“Of course, my Queen.” Klark moved to exit the throne room, but was called back before she could get more than a few steps. “High General.” Klark looked back at Nia, confused. “Your report on the Raiders?” How could she have forgotten something so important? “Of course.” Klark walked back to where she had been standing and folded her hands behind her back.

“Immedietly after leaving Anolia, my army set off for the north-eastern border to find any Raiders that had entered Azgeda, and the ones that we found were killed immediately.

"My army continued this for over two months.

"Then, about three weeks ago, we came across the largest group of tracks that I had ever seen. My army followed them for days, and they led us past three decimated villages. A total of four hundred and thirty seven people were killed."

The devastation had been horrifying, even to her, but the survivors had been affected even more by it. They did not know war like she did, and Klark would never forget the fear that had been so clearly written across their faces.

“After several more days of traveling, we found their camp, filled with over a hundred and fifty Raiders. They were already close enough to the southern border for a patrol to find them, so we attacked the next morning."

The raiders had killed hundreds of her people and undoubtedly deserved to die, so Klark had given her warriors almost free reign over the battle to sate their bloodlust. As a result, many Raiders had suffered some of the most painful deaths imaginable.

It was unfortunate that she couldn't bring herself to actually care.

“My gonas set upon them mercilessly, ensuring that every Raider suffered a long and gruesome death for their crimes against Azgeda.”

Klark did not mention the three Raider children that she had allowed to escape after pointing them in the direction of the southern clans. It was unlikely that they would survive, but at least now they had a chance.

It was the best she could do, and it would no longer be her fault if they were killed.

Klark did not allow the killing of children.

Nature could take care of that for her.

She paused, taking a breath before continuing her report. "After burning their camp to the ground, my army left the bodies for the southern clans to find. We began the journey back to Anolia immediately after."

It was to send a message; no clan would dare call Azgeda weak after Klark’s display.

Upon the discovery of the carnage they had left behind, the other clans would find that the Raiders had been decimated by Azgeda’s unnamed High General and their army.

The clans already feared her, but respect was now beginning to bloom as well.

The Queen nodded her head once, pleased. “Well done. And you are certain that the camp was near enough to the southern border that they will be found?”

Klark nodded surely. “Yes, my Queen. A Trikru patrol will no doubt find what is left of the Raiders."

“Good.” Nia flicked her hand towards the door. “ _Now_ , you may go.”

Taking the dismissal, Klark bowed before turning on her heel to walk out the doors. She was lucky she hadn’t gotten a lashing for her insubordination.  _Leaving before directed?_ Klark shook her head.  _Idiot_ .

Walking back to her chambers, Klark wondered what Nia’s plot was. It would have to be clever if they wished to evade going to war, after all, but if the Queen was anything, it was clever.

So, if Queen Nia wished to undermine the Commander’s authority by not participating in the war, Klark would not object. It was a good idea, even if Klark’s reasoning was more due to the fact that she just wanted to stay in Azgeda for longer than a few days.

It was not because of any sort of allegiance to Nia, though she spared no love for the treacherous Commander either.

Though there had been other factors, the Commander’s betrayal had been the final straw that forced Klark to leave Camp Jaha forever. She hoped that Nia had a good plan, for Klark did not want to see her former people or the Commander ever again.

_Especially_ the Commander.

They had been  _friends_ , even... or  _something_ ,  so her betrayal had been unexpected. They could have found a way to win the war together, but of course she just  _had_ to make Klark completely responsible for the death of three hundred and eighty four people. An entire society dead at the pull of a single lever.

She sighed at the memory. Hopefully Azgeda could avoid the summons, and perhaps Klark would not have to go to war so soon after all.

* * *

Klark opened her door and stepped inside, greeted instantly by Atlas, who rubbed his head against her happily. She knelt down to rub his soft fur, glad to see her wolf despite his apparent forgetfulness of his training - usually, he would have only come to her on command. Klark reminded herself to work on that tomorrow so that he would be ready to accompany her the next time she left Anolia.

Klark left Atlas to do as he wished and admired her rooms, lost in thought.

When Klark had defeated and killed the previous High General in their Challenge by single combat, she had been given his place in the tower room.

Klark looked around, reveling in the near silence of her chambers as she took in her home.

From where she stood, a table set fit to seat four people stood to the left while her sitting area lied to the right: a long black sofa accompanied by two matching armchairs. They faced a large fireplace, already lit to stave off the cold.

She turned away from the door and walked into her sleeping chambers, situated a small step down from the rest of the room due to some strange design, where her fur-draped bed had not yet been remade.

Her bed was too enticing to ignore, and Klark did not bother to make it before lying on her back, taking in the ceiling of the tower that arched high above her, several tapestries draped over the tall stone walls for decoration.

A large chandelier hung from the center of the turret, and two large windows on the wall beside her revealed the beautiful snow covered city that sprawled around the castle.

Klark’s rooms were one of her favorite things in Anolia. Her room on the Ark had been tiny, and their camp at the dropship had been loud with no privacy whatsoever, with the added danger of an attack from the Trikru at any moment.

In Anolia, Klark finally had an actual space to herself and could live there safely in relative peac- “Klark!”  _Oh, the irony._ She turned around just in time to see Ontari barge into the room, not caring that the door slammed against the wall hard enough to rattle the cups on the table.

Klark lifted her head to stare at Ontari in exasperation. " _Really!?_ I am going to kill you if my door is broken. What do you want?" Ontari shrugged, ignoring Klark‘s threat. “Just saying hello. What are  _you_ doing?”

"What does it  look like I’m doing?" Ontari walked further in to the room, casually looking around before glancing at Klark, who hadn't bothered to move. "Nothing.”

Klark nodded as best she could from her position. "Correct."

Klark sighed, sitting up fully. "Did you hear what today’s meeting is about?" Ontari shook her head, moving to sit on the bed as well before narrowing her eyes when she saw Klark‘s expression. "That bad?" Klark nodded. "What is it?"

She pursed her lips. "The Commander just summoned us to war in the south."

Ontari twisted to face her fully, shock coloring her expression. “ _What?!_ ” At Klark‘s solemn nod, Ontari let out a stream of curses and let herself fall back until she was lying on the bed, mind clearly racing at the news. "Tell me everything."

So she did.

Klark let herself fall back onto the bed once more, launching into a recount of everything that Nia had told her so that Ontari would be prepared for what information the meeting would bring.

* * *

On the hour, Klark and Ontari walked into the Generals’ meeting chamber and moved to their respective positions around the large table. As the High General, Klark stood across from where Nia was seated on her throne.

Soon, Generals Arah and Selera rushed through the door, and Nia did not bother to punish them for their tardiness. She simply began to speak.

“As some of you know, the Commander has summoned Azgeda to war in the south.” Neither Klark nor Ontari reacted, but there was a sharp intake of breath as the other Generals heard the news.

Nia pressed on, not leaving any time for questions. “Azgeda is still at war with the Raiders. We all know that the rest of the coalition has not aided us in this fight, despite how the Raiders are a threat to them as well. The other clans will never help Azgeda unless it also benefits them, so we will do the same.

"They do not  _deserve_ our help.”

It appeared that undermining the Commander was not Nia’s only goal. She wanted  _vengeance_ . She wanted to make the other clans fight without the aid of Azgeda so they would know the feeling.  _Strange_. Klark might have almost thought she cared, but it was for more likely that she was manipulating the Generals into following her.

Still... She made a valid point.

“So, I have devised a plan." Klark hoped that it was a good one, because another war was the last thing she wanted. “Azgeda has the largest and most powerful army of any of the thirteen clans,” Nia continued, “so, we will simply not answer the Commander’s call to war, thus weakening the coalition's army significantly.”

The generals around Klark murmured to each other excitedly at the prospect, but she remained silent.

She knew this already.

Still speaking, Nia went on. “I have sent an assassin after the messenger who delivered the note.”  _Damn_. It was too bad. Darian had seemed like a good man, and this meant that she had risked saving his life for nothing.

“He cannot be allowed to inform the Commander that her message was delivered.”

Unfortunately, it made sense to Klark. Darian had to die to prevent Azgeda from going to war.

It was worth it.

“As you well know, reaching Anolia in the winter is extremely difficult for those from the southern clans. So, we will act as if the messenger never arrived, ignoring the summons. If the Commander sends another messenger, we will do the same.”

Nia looked incredibly pleased with herself as she looked down at the assembled Generals, finishing her speech triumphantly. "The only possible way for the Commander to get Azgeda’s army is it she travels here to collect it herself, and she will  never do a that with war looming."

Klark couldn’t stop her eyes from widening a fraction, though she was sure that nobody noticed. _No. Oh no. The Commander in Anolia? That would be even worse than war. If she needed Azgeda’s army badly enough, she would absolutely travel all the way here to get it._

She would find out that Klark was alive and doubtlessly wish for her return to the Skaikru, which Klark would never comply with. If Azgeda was forced to join the war, Klark would have to lead her army as the High General, forcing her to be near her former people once more - the last thing she wanted.

Her mind in turmoil, Klark did not voice any of her concerns. It was a good plan, and it  _was_ unlikely that the Commander would travel all the way here. 

Nia’s plan was clever. 

Selfishly, Klark hoped it would work.

* * *

After the meeting, Klark and Ontari went back to her room, where Roan was waiting for them. They explained Nia’s entire plan, and by the end of the story, Roan came to the same conclusion that Klark and Ontari did: it was doubtful, but not impossible, that the Commander would come to Azgeda.

The idea that a large group of Trikru could travel all the way to Anolia was preposterous.

Enjoying the rest of the day together, Klark, Ontari, and Roan walked out of the city to the lake outside the walls. Atlas ran free, determinedly chasing a stick that Roan had grabbed from the forest, and the cool wind pulled at their hair as they stood together, looking at the crystal blue lake.

The next morning, Klark received word. Another messenger had come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow look at me, actually managing to update on time. Strange. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and let me know what you think so far. Leave comments/ kudos if you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I changed Damon to Darian. I just started vampire diaries and realized where I got the name from when I originally wrote this lol. Oops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

November 2152, Azgeda

** Darian **

He pushed his horse to an even faster pace as they rode through a barren ice field, intent on reaching the Trikru border as quickly as possible. They were making good time, but Darian would not feel safe until he had left Azgeda.

The forest loomed in the distance and Darian knew that the border was close - the shallow creek that divided the two clans lied only a few miles ahead.

The freezing wind was screaming past his ears and it was impossible to hear anything but the hoof-steps of his horse and his own heavy breathing. Suddenly alert at the realization that he could not sense any form of danger, Darian held his breath and quickly looked back to ensure that he was alone.

He wasn't.

Darian blanched at the sight of another rider racing towards him at a speed far greater than his own. He could not make out any of their features but based on the rider's rugged clothing choice, Darian assumed that they were a bandit.

_Fuck_.

Darian quickly turned back towards the forest ahead and urged his horse to run even faster, hoping that the trees could provide some protection. But he had already pushed her too hard, and Darian felt an arrow graze his arm far before they could reach the safety of the forest.

Darian gritted his teeth, looking back to see the bandit raise the bow once more. And as if in slow motion, the rider released the string and the arrow flew towards him, a small dark blur against the bright white of the snow.

It pierced his back and Darian groaned in pain, writhing as he fell forward over his horse. A second arrow stabbed into his shoulder and this time he couldn't hold back a scream of pain as more followed, striking his body until Darian was motionless against the most extreme pain he had felt in his life.

The arrows stopped and the hoofsteps faded away, the bandit likely thinking him dead. But he wasn't dead yet, though Darian could feel his lifeblood flowing from him as he laid in agony.

It was only the thought of the letter he had written for just this occasion that kept him from embracing the looming darkness that pulled at him. Darian had a job, and he refused to die until it was completed. Heda  _would_ get his message.

The darkness pulled at him again, urging him to  _sleep_ ,  and this time Darian welcomed it, unable to resist a relief from the intense pain any longer. He had to trust that his horse would lead them to safety.

Unable to voice the words aloud, one last thought drifted through his mind as he finally succumbed to the peaceful blackness. 

_Take us home, Astrid._

* * *

* * *

November 2152, Polis

**Lexa **

Lexa sat with her legs crossed, fingers pressed together tightly as she contemplated her next move.

She knew that the Ice Queen had to be up to something - that much was obvious - but what could it  _be?_ It had been a week since Lexa sent her messenger to Azgeda to summon their army for war, and he had not yet returned.

She had sent two additional messengers since then, yet none of them had returned with Azgeda’s response by either. It was peculiar, and far too much of a coincidence to be accidental. Though she knew that Azgeda’s weather was unforgiving around this time of the year, at least one of her messengers should have returned by now.

Unless they had all somehow died in the cold, there really was no reason for them to be gone so long.  _Raiders, bandits, frozen to death..._ Lexa sighed. There were a lot of possibilities. 

Still, none were as likely as some new plot constructed to undermine her position. Nia never stopped trying to steal power from Lexa, and it was exhausting. It was truly unfortunate that she could not kill her - not yet, anyway. 

Lexa needed Azgeda under control, and she had to ensure that the Queen's replacement would be a suitable leader that she could work with. But, replacing the Queen was less important in the face of war, and Lexa could deal with Nia for a little longer in order to focus on that.

She leaned back against her throne, still deep in thought. They would certainly need the strength of the Azgeda army if war did come to pass, so if Azgeda had to be made to come, then she would make them.

Azgeda  _would_ join the coalitions army. Even if she had to take action herself.

A knock sounded at the door and a guard stepped in. “Heda, Skaikru is here for their meeting. Should I allow them entry?” Lexa sighed. They were early. “Yes, let them in.”

Abby and Marcus quickly entered, but she was surprised to see Raven following behind them, albeit reluctantly. She had expected the first two, given that they were the Skaikru chancellors, but Raven  _ still _ had not forgiven Lexa for her betrayal so her presence was unexpected.

Lexa did not dwell on the matter, but she still found it quite irksome that  _ she _ had managed to put Skaikru’s  _many_ violent actions against her people in the past while they still blamed Lexa for what she did to save her people. As if they wouldn't have done the same if the situation was reversed.

Lexa’s decision at the Mountain was the only option at the time, and while she would still do the same for her people, that did not mean that she did not regret it's outcome more than anything. Now, the only person Lexa had cared about since Costia was dead, and it was also her fault. Lexa had sent out hundreds of search parties looking for Clarke, but she had eventually given up.

Clarke was simply gone.

The Skaikru bowed their heads in respect, and Lexa waited for Marcus to speak. He did so quickly. "Commander, we have come to discuss some new findings from the tech inside Mount Weather." Excellent. They had been in the dark for far too long. “What does the tek tell us of the threat?”

Raven stepped forward, and Lexa ignored her feeble attempts to hold back a glare. She currently cared more about the information that Raven had than her behavior, but still, she had let the girl’s insolence go unpunished for too long. Lexa would have to address that soon..

“When I was surveying the tech inside Mount Weather, I found something that uses a satellite to sense large movements on earth. It looks like huge groups of people are massing outside the clans.”

She knew this much, though she did not understand some of the terms that Raven used. “Could it be the Raiders?” she asked, hoping that the threat would be something simple. But, she was not so fortunate and Raven shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. They are too far to the west to be Raiders,” Raven replied, “but it’s strange. It’s like they appeared out of nowhere. Their numbers have mostly stopped growing, but a few more people appear each week.”

It  was  very strange, and they would certainly need Azgeda’s army if war did come to pass. “Are they a threat to us?” Lexa asked. Raven looked to Marcus, then back to Lexa. “I don’t know yet, but It’s possible. I recommend that we continue preparing for an attack, and post even more scouts at the borders to keep watch.”

“Very well. When you get new information, you bring it to me. We cannot risk losing this war.” Even with only the threat of war looming, it was necessary that they be prepared for anything. “Of course Commander. We will inform you of any new information that we receive.” Kane replied.

She nodded, dismissing them, and the three Skaikru walked out of her throne room, the door closing behind them softly. 

* * *

Lexa did not have the time to return to her contemplation before there was another knock at the door. It was rare that she was disturbed so often, and Lexa assumed that it was important as her guard stepped into the room once again.

"Heda, there are several messengers here for you. Do you wish to grant them an audience?" Lexa leaned forward curiously. _Did all my messengers in Azgeda return at once?_ “ What is their business here?” she asked, hoping that it was indeed the messengers she had sent to Azgeda.

"One carries a letter from a small village a few hours north of here. Says it is from a man named Darian that they found at the border. Another is a scout that brings news of an Azgeda victory against the Raiders. The last is a villager that brings three Raider children that somehow both witnessed said battle and survived it.”

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for Lexas response. Her mind was churning over the new information and she had to take a brief moment to process his words before responding. “Allow them entrance in the order you presented them. The messenger with the letter first.” He nodded curtly. “Sha Heda.”

The guard was gone in an instant and a tall man with long blonde hair entered the room and bowed quickly. “Heda. I carry a letter from the village Ienna, located by the Azgeda border.” She nodded at the guard standing beside her, and he took the rolled up note from the messenger and placed it in her hand before returning to his post.

Lexa set the letter on the table at her side. She would read it later. “You may go. Thank you.” The messenger turned and walked out the door, and she waited expectantly for the scout to enter. Knowing Azgeda’s movements was her priority, and vital if she wanted to achieve her goals.

The scout finally appeared, and the dark haired woman bowed respectfully before she began speaking. “Heda. During our patrol of the Azgeda border, we came across a decimated Raider camp."  _Decimated_ . Lexa’s eyes narrowed at her open expression. The scout was not exaggerating. "It was burned to the ground and only a few pieces of the tents remained. But...”

She gulped in clear horror at the memory,  “ _all_ of the Raiders were dead, left outside the camp in piles. Over a hundred of them, left mutilated beyond recognition in pools of their own blood. And Heda, out of all the bodies,  none of them were Azgeda."

_ What . _

That was not possible.

"Whichever General that led this army has created the most powerful war unit I have ever seen." She paused, then finished in a less somber tone. "After surveying the dead, my patrol and I built several pyres and burned all the bodies, then we returned home.” Lexa nodded slowly, stunned by this new information. “Thank you for your account. You may go.”

The scout left the room and Lexa sat in a stunned silence, processing what she had told her. Based on the other Raider camps they had found, this was also the work of Azgeda's unnamed High General and their army - someone that Lexa was  _still_ unable to find any information about.

It was infuriating how little knowledge she had of the High General, but perhaps the Raider children could give her some insight on the matter...

She looked up expectantly as the door opened, intent on getting more information as the messenger slowly walked in. Behind him were three tiny children. The oldest couldn’t have been older than eight, and the youngest was likely around five. How had  _they_ survived the attack when fully trained gonas had been killed like untrained sekons?

Someone must have helped them. It was the only possibility.

“Heda. These children wandered into our village three days ago, barely alive and starving. I do not know much about them, but from what I gathered, they witnessed the attack on the Raiders. Someone took them away from the battle and pointed them in the direction of Trikru, then left to rejoin the fight. That is all I know, Heda. You may have to talk to them for a more accurate account.”

He looked horrified at his insubordination, but she merely nodded, focused on the Raider children. “Leave us.” He practically ran out of the room, leaving three wide eyed children staring at her. 

* * *

Lexa motioned for the children to sit in front of her. They did so hesitantly, looking up at her with clear fear in their eyes. The two oldest were girls and the youngest was a boy. Obviously siblings, the two girls both had dark hair and tan skin. The boy had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, reminding her of Clarke for a moment.

Blinking back memories, she looked down at the children thoughtfully before speaking. "Hello.” She said, using the same voice she talked to her natblidas with, “Do you know who I am?” They each shook their heads and Lexa nodded, having expected this.

“Have you heard of Heda?” This time they nodded. “Good.  _I_ am Heda.” They looked up at her, confused, until the oldest finally spoke. “My parents said you were evil. But you don’t act evil.” Lexa sighed.  _Evil?_ She was far from that. “I am not evil. And I am not going to hurt you, so it is okay to talk to me. Do you understand?”

They nodded solemnly.

"Good. Now who can tell me what happened?” Lexa asked. “Why did they attack you?” The oldest raised her hand. “It’s probably because we destroyed some of their villages.” Lexa refrained from smiling.  _Of course they did._

“And what happened when your camp got attacked?” The sisters looked at each other hesitantly, and Lexa exhaled slowly. “It’s really important that I know what happened so that I can protect my people. Can you help me?”

The oldest answered again this time. “We were in our tent for breakfast when the screaming started. I had no idea what was happening so we hid under the table and listened to the sound of sword strikes. There really was a lot of screaming..." she trailed off and Lexa nodded encouragingly for her to continue.

"Um. Oh yeah, then three people walked into our tent. Two men and a woman. They saw us right away and the big men walked towards us with their swords out.” Unfortunately, Lexa was not surprised - the children could be considered Raiders as well.

“But before they could get to us, the woman grabbed both their shoulders and pulled them back. Then she said... 'you know better than that.' And then, they left! Well the men did, after saying something weird, like ‘yes hi general’. I don’t know why they said hi while they were leaving, but they did.” The  _High General_ saved them. That- that made no sense.

The girl continued, oblivious to Lexa’s inner turmoil over that fact. "The nice lady crouched down so we could see her. Then said ‘I need you two to come with me, it’s not safe here.’

"She picked us up at the same time and walked outside. But only after making us promise to keep our eyes shut. When we could open our eyes again, we were in the forest and I couldn’t see our camp anymore.

"The lady asked if there were any other children. There was. Edy was still in the camp, so I told her because she seemed nice. And then she said something like... fūck... whatever that means, and ran away. 

"So we just stood there for a few minutes and she eventually came back with Edy in her arms. She put him next to us and told Keya some directions to something.”

“To Trikru,” her sister chimed in.

“Yeah, that. And then we walked in that direction until a man found us and took us to his village. Then a few days later we were brought here,” she finished, slightly out of breath.

Though the story consisted of a lot of rambling, Lexa had learned some incredibly interesting information. The new High General of Azgeda was a woman, and for some reason she had saved the lives of three children. Why?

It made no sense. From the other report, the elusive High General was a fearsome and brutal warrior who’s army was the strongest of all the clans. They had attacked the Raiders relentlessly for months with no mercy, so why had she saved  _them?_

Curious to know more about the High General, Lexa asked what she looked like. This time, the younger sister - Keya - responded. “Her hair was red and she told us it was dyed when l asked. And I remember she had really blue eyes.”

“Like Edy’s!” her sister chimed in. “And she was wearing really nice armor with so many weapons, too.” Interesting. Lexa wondered why she dyed her hair. “Thank you for telling me your story. How do you feel about staying here for a few days?”

They nodded enthusiastically and Lexa called for a servant to take them to a room. Her tower held no guests at the moment, so there was space for them here. The children would stay in Polis until she could find them a proper home.

* * *

Finally alone for once, Lexa picked up Darian’s letter. She unrolled it and begun to read it to herself quietly. “Heda. I have delivered your message to Queen Nia. Unfortunately, if you are reading this then I was not able to return to you. If I am still alive, then I will return to Polis when I am able and recount the events that led to this message being sent. If I am not, then it was an honor to serve you, Heda. - Darian."

_So Nia was pretending not to have gotten the summons to war. Maybe if she hadn’t sent a terrible assassin, it would have worked._ Lexa had no doubt that Darian had indeed been attacked by an Azgeda assassin - everything else was for too unlikely - but  _why?_ Nia lived for war and turmoil in the coalition - it made plotting against Lexa easier.

She would never choose not to send her gonas unless... she was trying to undermine Lexa.

_Of course she was._

It seemed that Lexa would have to take action to force Azgeda’s army to answer her call to war. She sighed and rolled the note back up, too tired to think of that dilemma right now.

It was unfortunate that Darian was gone, but he could be easily replaced. And perhaps he was still alive, somewhere, with more useful information on Azgeda. That would be convenient.

Lexa returned to her chambers and ordered her maid to bring up her evening meal, not bothering to eat in the dining hall.

As she waited, Lexa finally allowed herself to think of the fall of the Mountain, the sight of the Skaikru having brought all of those memories flooding back. Lexa had done what she’d had to in order to save the most of her people possible, but betraying Clarke was her deepest regret.

She still wondered what had happened to Clarke after the fall of the Mountain, though Lexa supposed that she would never know.

It was her fault that Clarke was gone, and now she would never get to know Clarke’s story.

But still, what had happened to Clarke three years ago?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and leave comments/ kudos if you liked it!
> 
> Next chapter we are going to see what made Klark who she is now, going back in time to three years ago. (Mega flashback time whoo)
> 
> Let me know what you think about this chapter! I love hearing your input.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to learn about how Clarke became Klark! Get ready for a long af series of flashbacks.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

November 2152, Azgeda

** Klark **

Klark sat in her chambers with Atlas, slowly petting his long white hair as she thought back on the events of the last three years that had brought her to this peaceful moment. Most of them were far from fond memories, but they had all shaped Klark into the person she was today.

She had once been the unofficial leader of Skaikru, but Klark had left that life behind to remain in Azgeda. It had been over three years now, and Klark rarely thought of her former people anymore. They had needed so much from her  _all_ the time, unable to think or act for themselves. Even the  _adults._

Azgeda had lifted that burden from her shoulders, and now Klark led an army of highly trained gonas who followed her command to the letter. No questions, no doubts, everything her former people had not given her.

If she saw them again, Klark didn’t know what she would do. Certainly not what they would expect, though. Skaikru was at fault for her ‘disappearance’ as well, though she imagined that they had no idea.

While her actions at the Mountain had been the final straw leading to her departure, Klark had thought about it and knew that her people were at fault too.  _And the Commander_ she supposed, though her betrayal had just been what pushed Klark over the edge.

Her former people had constantly expected so much of her, like  _she_ was solely responsible for their lives. Klark had been  _seventeen_ , and yet they had all looked at her as if  _she_ were the chancellor.

They had called her ‘too young to lead,’ yet made idiotic decisions and looked to her for help fixing them. They had forced her into leading, yet they stood by and criticized her every action as if they could have done any better. Yet they still thought of her as their  _leader?_ A person that they  _needed_ to be there just for them?

She knew that they had looked for her - had seen the search parties in fact - but Klark just couldn’t take the hypocrisy anymore.

She had missed some of the delinquents at first (and maybe she still did, a little), but they had forced her to save them from their own stupidity too many times to count, solely relying on her to pull their heads out of the mud and lead them in the right direction.

Klark hadn’t understood that three years ago, but she did now. She would never go back to being in charge of a bunch of needy idiots.

Klark laughed at her past self. She had been so traumatized after killing everyone in the Mountain that she had just blamed everything on the Commander. Well, she did still blame her, but not for the betrayal - Clarke understood that decision now. No, it was what it  _did_ to her that mattered.

She also blamed Skaikru. So many things would have been different if they had just _listened_ to her, but _no_. They just _had_ to throw parties and attack each other and get themselves killed.

Her people had been incapable of controlling themselves.

Staying in Azgeda had changed her life forever. She was at home, she was needed - but not too much, and she had a family who saw her as an equal and not as their leader.

Klark was stronger than she had ever been, forever changed in the years after Mount Weather.

* * *

* * *

Three years ago...

September 2149, traveling 

** Clarke **

They were dead. All of them. Clarke had watched them all die, and it was entirely her fault. She couldn’t think of any other way to save them and her mother was being killed right in front of her, so she had pulled the lever, murdering  _an entire society_ of people.

Making it even worse, most of them were innocent. Some of the people in Mount Weather had even risked their lives to try and help the delinquents escape, and she had killed them as well.

Overwhelming waves of self-hatred rolled through her as Clarke walked with her people through the woods back to Camp Jaha, not registering anything around her as her mind raced over what she had just done. Even looking at her people made her feel sick, and Clarke didn’t know if she could bear seeing them every day.

This was all Lexa’s fault. If she had just  _talked_ to Clarke, they could have made a better plan. But no, instead, Clarke was now a mass murderer, solely responsible for the death of three hundred and forty seven people. And their deaths were her fault, sacrificed just so that she could save forty seven - _ just  forty seven _ \- of her own people.

She was a monster and did not deserve the congratulations that she was getting for her actions. Not after what she had done.

Looking up, Camp Jaha loomed in the distance and Clarke immediately knew that she couldn’t stay. Not where the living proof of her actions would be around her constantly. Clarke could not be the leader her people needed. She had to get away, and finally put herself first.

There was no war to fight, and she knew that Lexa would not attack them -not after everything. Everyone was safe now, so Clarke would leave. She would probably come back in a few months... if she survived that long, though the idea of dying didn’t seem so bad at the moment.

Clarke had nothing but her gun and the clothes on her back, but there was no way that she was going into Camp Jaha now. Not when freedom was so close. There was no knowing who might stop her, so Clarke would wait until everyone was in the gates before leaving.

She had nowhere to go, but the possibilities were endless.

Clarke would have to be careful to avoid any grounders, but being alone was exactly what she wanted - and exactly what she needed. Her gun would only be for emergencies, so she would have to hunt her own food. A daunting task, but Clarke was up for the challenge.

After running into the person in front of her when they came to a sudden stop, she realized that they were already outside Camp Jaha. Clarke moved to the side and waited by the gates as her people slowly walked by, smiling slightly at Monty as he helped Jasper carry Raven's stretcher.

She would miss them.

But it was for the best.

Bellamy appeared by her side and nudged her shoulder with his own. "Hey, let's head in. I think we deserve a drink after today.” They watched the last of the Arkers go through the gate together and Clarke sighed. "Have one for me."

Bellamy shrugged and walked forward a few paces before he stopped and looked back, noticing that Clarke hadn’t moved. “I’m not going in, Bellamy.” His eyes widened. “What? Clarke, if it’s forgiveness you need, then you’re forgiven. Please come inside.  _Please_ ,” he begged.

But Clarke just shook her head. “I’m sorry Bellamy, but I have to go. You know that I need it. I can’t even bear seeing their faces - it reminds me of everything I’ve done to save them." She smiled faintly. "Keep everyone safe for me.”

She hugged him, then turned towards the forest. “Please don’t come looking for me. At least not for a while.” Bellamy looked heartbroken for her, but slowly nodded in acceptance.

As she walked away from Camp Jaha, she heard a quiet “may we meet again” from behind her. A single tear trailed down her cheek but Clarke walked on, determined to finally be free for once.

* * *

She forced herself to walk until it was too dark to see. Unable to find proper shelter without light, she sat down against a tree and regarded the dark woods around her in silence.

Though she was tired from her excruciatingly long day, her mind could not rest after everything she had done. So she sat against the tree, cheeks wet with tears as her mind replayed that heart wrenching moment over and over and over again.

Then it stopped, and Clarke realized that she had been weak. She promised herself that this was the last time she would cry, that she was stronger than that.

And underneath that large tree in the silent forest, Clarke promised herself that she would never be weak again.

When the darkness lifted, she rose with it and continued walking. The day went by at a snail's pace as she made no efforts to sate her thirst, but her promise lingered at the back of her mind. She had said that she would never be weak again, but slowly killing herself certainly was not the epitome of strength.

Eventually deciding to stop torturing herself, Clarke found a small creek and crouched by it, drinking her fill. The sun was high overhead, and the cool autumn wind whispered though the trees; the brightly colored leaves waving in the breeze.

She already felt more at peace out here, though her tormenting thoughts still lingered in her mind.

Deciding that she would build her shelter in this spot, Clarke found several large sticks and leaned them against each other carefully, then placed leaves inside to create a very short and uncomfortable place for her to sleep.

It was better than nothing.

She knew that she should eat, but Clarke’s stomach couldn’t bear the thought. The idea of cooking meat brought back the memories of the mountain men, burned alive by radiation.  _Your fault, your fault, your fault._

No, she would not eat yet. Not for a while.

It was the morning of Clarke’s third day alone when her peace was finally interrupted. She was peacefully sitting outside her shelter, observing a particularly fat squirrel when she heard a branch crack behind her. She turned to look for the source, but saw nothing.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Clarke saw a large man dressed in a white coat charging towards her. She moved to stand up, grabbing for her gun, but he was too fast and struck her head with the pommel of his knife before she could reach anything.

Then all Clarke saw was darkness, then nothing at all.

* * *

Clarke stirred groggily, groaning at the sharp pain in her head. She tried to move but couldn’t. Her arms and legs were tied together, and she was draped over something big... was it a horse?  _How did I get on a horse?_ There was a bag over her head and she was gagged with something that she  _really_ hoped wasn’t a sock.

_What the hell?_

She started thrashing furiously, screaming as loud as she could through the gag. The man sighed loudly, and almost faster than she could register, the horse stopped walking and Clarke was shoved to the ground, landing roughly on her side.

Clarke grunted in pain, remaining still for only a short second before she started blindly thrashing against the bindings once more, trying to escape. Her foot made contact with something and Clarke heard an annoyed grunt before the bag was suddenly removed from her head and she could see again.

Blinking back the stars in her eyes from the sudden brightness, she dizzily took in her surroundings. Still in the woods, though the trees looked different. And... was it colder?

The man stood in front of her and Clarke quickly sat up, glaring at him. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” She growled through the gag, unable to talk.

He reached forward and Clarke flinched back, but the man only removed her gag. “Who are you?” She demanded. “Let me go!” He looked at her as if deciding how to answer. Eventually settling on something, he replied, “I am Prince Roan kom Azgeda. And no, I will not be letting you go.”

“What is a prince doing all the way out here?” Clarke snapped, still trying to escape the ropes binding her. “Shouldn’t you be in a castle or something?”

He looked annoyed at her question. “I  _would_ be, but my mother banished me in exchange for Azgeda being allowed to join the coalition. The Commander wished to undermine my mother by taking her heir, but instead she just changed the law to allow the High General to take the throne as well.”

Clarke snorted. “Sounds like your mother really loves you.” She said sarcastically. He huffed a laugh, surprised at the absence of fear in Clarke.

Not that she wasn’t scared, but it was quite an unexpected turn of events and Clarke was curious to see what would happen next. She did not fear death, for she had caused enough of it that she deserved to die anyways.

Clarke continued with her questions, since he seemed willing enough to answer them. “Why exactly are you kidnapping me?” He looked at her strangely. “Why do you think? If I take you to her, my mother will lift my banishment. She seeks the power of Wanheda.”

_What the hell is a Wanheda?_ “So why are you taking me? I didn’t do anything.” He looked at her incredulously. “You don’t know?  _ You  _ are Wanheda. The Commander of Death.”

 _Wanheda. The Commander of Death._ Clarke laughed hollowly to herself.  _How fitting._ Roan looked at her, his shoulder length brown hair tucked in his coat. “I guess you didn’t.” He shrugged unapologetically, “Well you do now. Let’s go. And don’t bother trying to run, or I will tie you to the back of my horse and drag you all the way there.”

She looked towards the forest longingly, but Roan did not seem like he was making idle threats. “Fine.” She spat, still sitting on the ground. “Where are you taking me?” He knelt down to untie her feet, and Clarke resisted the very strong urge to kick him in the face.  _Self preservation_ ,  she reminded herself.

He easily lifted her onto his mud-colored horse before climbing on himself, and Roan finally answered her question as the animal began to move forward. “We are going to the capitol of Azgeda. Anolia.” Clarke had no idea what that meant, and stayed silent in hopes that he would continue. He did.

“It is a two day ride. We should arrive there by mid afternoon tomorrow.”

“What will Queen-“ “Nia,” Roan added.  _Queen Nia_.  “What will she do with me?” Clarke asked. “She will likely kill you to take the power of Wanheda,” Roan replied indifferently, “unless you can convince her otherwise.”

_Hm_ . Clarke  _did_ have some useful skills. “Is that possible?” She asked. “If I prove to be useful will she not kill me?” She felt Roan’s hair brush her neck as he nodded. That was good. Maybe she would live past tomorrow, whether she deserved it or not.

* * *

Clarke could feel the air getting colder as they rode, and her jacket was no longer enough to keep her warm. She shivered. It was colder than she had ever felt before - even colder than the days when the Ark’s heater malfunctioned - and Clarke was far too unused to the weather to be comfortable, though she didn't say anything.

She could bear it.

When the light began to dim, Roan stopped the horse and quickly dismounted. Clarke tried to do the same, but her legs were numb and she barely managed a step before falling over.

To her chagrin, Roan laughed as she once again groaned in pain. “It seems that Wanheda is not as strong as the stories say.” She scowled, not bothering to get up.  _Asshole_.  “It’s Clarke. Not Wanheda or whatever.” 

He looked at her curiously, taking something out of the pocket of the horse's saddle. “Klark, then. Very well, I will call you by your name.”

He pronounced it strangely, more harshly than she had ever heard it. She furrowed her brow as Roan set up a small tent. “Clarke, not Klark.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “That’s what I said. Klark.” She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you pronounce it weirdly.” Roan just shrugged before stepping around her to his horse, grabbing a bag.

“You will have to get used to it. Azgeda has a harsher accent than most clans. You will fit in better if you just go by Klark.” He sat down by the tent entrance a few feet from her, and passed her some hardened jerky.

The dark meat triggered several unwanted memories, so Clarke just shoved it all in her mouth at once, ignoring Roan’s amused glance. “So what is Anolia like?” Roan looked off into the forest, appearing to be deep in thought.

“Anolia is the largest city in Azgeda, home to over a thousand people. There is a great market where traders and craftsmen from all over the clan come to buy and sell goods. The Queen and everyone of importance live in a large castle in the center of the city. All the higher level gonas and their sekons live in the castle as well.”

He looked over at her and sighed. “If you  do manage to survive, no matter how unlikely, I should warn you. There is a girl called Ontari who is a Sekon like you will be if Queen Nia lets you live. Stay away from her as much as you can. If she thinks you will undermine her status, she  _ will  _ kill you. There are good people in Azgeda, Klark, but she is not one of them.”

And on that very positive note, Roan stood up and went to his horse, rummaging in the saddle bag for a second before throwing a blanket at her. "Get some sleep. I’ll be standing watch.” She sighed, reluctantly following his directions. 

How strange it was that she got along with her captor.

* * *

They left at dawn, riding in silence as the landscape began to visibly change around them. Large pine trees replaced the diverse greenery of the south, and the hills rose into tall snow-covered mountains.

It was captivating to watch.

They rode through the day, and Clarke realized that she was scared to meet the Queen. She didn’t truly want to die, but how would she convince the Queen to spare her? She would have to prove her worth, somehow...

The horse stopped an eternity later, and Clarke looked up from her musings and gasped. Anolia, or what she assumed to be Anolia, was beautiful. She had expected something akin to TonDC, but this was  _far_ better. The buildings, the location, the  _castle_ ... it was stunning.

Roan took out the rope and held it out expectantly. “You’re a prisoner. You must at least look like one.”  _Right_ . Clarke stuck her wrists to the side and Roan bound them tightly before they continued down the hill.

Getting into the city took longer than she had expected, due to Roan’s banishment, but he had eventually been granted an immediate audience once Queen Nia had been told of his presence.

They left the horse at a hitching post and Clarke barely managed to stay on her feet as he dragged her towards the entrance.

He pulled her down several long hallways before stopping to talk quietly. “My mother respects confidence and bravery, so  _do not_ show weakness if you want to live. Conceal your emotions, and do not show any fear. Fear is weakness too. Good luck, Klark kom Skaikru.”

And then Roan punched her in the face. Hard.

Stars flooded her vision and Clarke reeled back, already feeling a bruise forming as she held her cheek tightly. “What the  _hell?_ ” She hissed scathingly, caught off guard by the attack. He grimaced. "Sorry. My mother would find it bizarre if you were unharmed."

He then grabbed her arm once more and dragged a now slightly dizzy Clarke down the hallway until they arrived outside two large double doors, guarded by a pair of heavily armed men.

Neither of them looked surprised at Roan’s presence, and the leftmost man stepped forward. "Prince Roan, the Queen is expecting you." Roan nodded and one of the guards quickly pulled the door open, revealing a cruel-looking blonde woman seated upon a large throne.

Roan shoved her into the room and unceremoniously forced Clarke to her knees in front of the throne. "Wanheda kom Skaikru, as promised." The Queen's brow lifted at the title, focus immediately shifting to Clarke. "Now carry out your part of the deal, mother. Lift my banishment."

The Queen's gaze bored into Clarke as she flicked her hand idly. “Your banishment is lifted." Out of the corner of her eye, Clarke saw Roan nod curtly. He looked faintly surprised as well, but Clarke redirected her focus to the Queen as she stood from the throne and moved to stand directly in front of her.

When she spoke next, the Queen ignored Roan and addressed Clarke directly. "So  _you’re_ the one who carries the power of Wanheda." She looked at Clarke disdainfully. "You look far to weak to have destroyed the Mountain." Clarke glared up at the Queen as she continued. "No matter. That power will soon be mine.”

Her voice was slippery, and Clarke could tell that the Queen was no novice to manipulation. Still, she had to try  _something_ to get out of this situation...

"Is that it, then? You kill me to take possession of my  _power?_ " The Queen studied her silently, face still adorned with that same unbreakable smirk. "Of course. I kill you and the power of Wanheda will become my own.”

It was ridiculous, but there was nothing she could do but go along with it. Not when that  ‘ _power’_ was her only bargaining chip.

Clarke shrugged in what she hoped was a confident manner, head slightly tilted back to meet the eyes of the Queen. “Well, you _could_ do that. But wouldn’t it be better to have the power of Wanheda on your side instead? Instead of killing me,  _train_ me.  _Use_ my power instead of attempting to take it.”

Nia looked incredulous. “Are you attempting to  _bargain_ with me skai girl?" She laughed. "Why would I  _wait_ to use the power of Wanheda when I can just take it now? Training you would be a waste of time."

Clarke shook her head. "Not necessarily. Let the clans believe that I - that Wanheda is dead. When you eventually reveal that she isn’t and has joined  _Azgeda_ , you will have the upper hand."

The Queen scoffed, but she returned to her throne and Clarke could tell that she was intrigued. Still, the Queen waved her hand dismissively. "Your loyalty lies with Skaikru and the Commander. You could never be trusted."

At that, Clarke laughed in genuine disbelief. “ _The_ _Commander?_ ” Clarke shook her head humorlessly. “The Commander betrayed me and left my people to die. She does not hold my  _loyalty_ , and I wouldn’t care if you killed her.” Clarke paused. She wasn't sure if that was true. No matter what Lexa had done at Mount Weather, Clarke could reluctantly admit that there had been...  _something_ between them.

No.

It wasn't important, and Clarke was sure that the Queen would never be able to kill Lexa either way. Even Clarke could (grudgingly) admit that she was too intelligent for that.

Pushing that useless thought from her mind, she continued speaking. "As for my people, the Skaikru no longer hold my loyalty. They have become too...  _reliant_ for my liking, so my loyalty now lies with myself. Not with them.”

"If you allow me to live, then I will forever be in your service. You will be able to wield the power of Wanheda by using my power as a weapon  _through_ me, instead of transferring it to you and hoping it will earn you something."

She lifted a shoulder. “Why claim the power of Wanheda when you can have Wanheda herself?”

* * *

It had worked - she could tell as much as the Queen studied her intensely. Clarke had made an excellent proposition - one that she  _would_ carry out because Clarke (unlike some people) did not break her word.

The Queen leaned back on her throne, seeming to sense the truth in her statements as she looked down at Clarke. “Very well, Wanheda. Swear fealty to me and I will let you live... for now. If you betray me, I will kill you and everyone you have ever loved.”

...It was better than the alternative.

Clarke bowed her head slightly, hoping that what she said would be suitable considering her lack of experience in this type of...  _situation_ . “I swear fealty to you, Queen Nia kom Azgeda. In exchange for my life, I promise to do your bidding and to uphold the laws of Azgeda.”

When she looked up, Clarke was relieved to see that the Queen looked pleased. “Good. Now do you have a name, Wanheda?” Clarke stood up slowly and nodded. “I am Clarke kom Skaikru.”

“No longer. You are now Klark kom Azgeda.” She looked behind Clarke to Roan. “Prince Roan will take you as his sekon until you are fully trained.” Roan quickly nodded in assent. “Yes my Queen. Klark will be the best warrior that Azgeda has ever seen.” Nia just waved her hand dismissively. “Good. You may go.”

They had both turned to walk out when she spoke again. “And Roan? She stays with the other Sekons until she earns her mark as a warrior of Azgeda.” Roan bowed. “Yes my Queen.” Then he turned back around and guided Clarke -  _Klark_ now, she supposed - out of the room.

Once they had passed through the doors, she turned and smirked at him. He smiled back. “I knew you would live. Now lets hope you stay that way." Roan led her down what she took to be the main hallway with a large staircase at the end, and they descended to a lower level.

“You will be living with the rest of the high profile Sekons. Do not tell them you are Wanheda, or they may try to take your power by killing you. Be careful, Azgeda is full of betrayal.” Klark nodded, taking it all in as they continued walking until Roan stopped outside a large wooden door.

“This is it. And be careful, you may not be received well by everyone. Remember what I told you on the way here?” She nodded again and on that very happy note, he opened the door and led her towards a bunk bed in the back of the medium-sized room.

There were a few people in there, and they all stopped what they were doing to look at her. She could feel their eyes on her back.

It put Klark on edge.

Roan pointed to the bed she would be occupying, and it already had someone’s belongings laid out on the top. Clarke  _really_ hoped that she would get a good bunkmate. Roan pulled out a bedroll and a pillow out of somewhere and placed them on her bed. “You will get fitted for clothes and weapons tomorrow. Right now, you'll stay in what you're wearing.”

Klark nodded and turned to her new bed. “Dinner is soon. You will have to follow the rest of the Sekons to find it. Lastly, we start training at dawn tomorrow. Meet me at the training ring with the other Sekons. Make sure that you are on time, and stick with everyone else until you know your way arou-“ He was interrupted as someone came up and stood between them.

“ _Roan_ ,”  said a mocking voice. “You’re back. And who is this?” Klark turned to see a very attractive brunette girl glaring at her, and Roan sighed. “Klark,  _this_ is your new bunk mate. It looks like you’ll be on the bottom.”

He turned to the brunette. “Play nice. This one is important.” He glanced at Klark, and she thought that she detected a hint of worry before Roan walked out, leaving her and the girl alone.

Turning to Klark, the girl crossed her arms. “I’m Ontari, who are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,  
> As always, let me know what you think, and feel free to share any suggestions, ideas, or predictions!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and leave comments/kudos if you liked it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: Ontari is NOT a nightblood in this story!
> 
> (The real action starts next chapter *dun dun dunn*)

Three years ago: September 2149

** Klark **

_ Ontari? _

Klark quickly glanced past her to where Roan had already disappeared through the door.

_ Shit._

It was just her luck that the  _ one _ person that Roan had warned her to stay away from was her bunk mate. He had told her practically nothing but the fact that she was dangerous, and Klark now regretted not asking for more information. She had far too little knowledge of the girl, and Klark could tell that the brunette already hated her for some unknown reason.

She sighed before holding her arm out for a handshake. “I’m Klark.” Ontari looked at her in disgust before grasping her forearm in the traditional grounder shake. “Whatever. Don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, don’t  _annoy_ me, and we should get along fine.”

Ontari leaped onto the top of the bunk lithely, leaving Klark to wonder why she was already being a bitch when they had only just met. Roan  _had_ warned her to stay away from the brunette, but Ontari undoubtedly had a reason for her rudeness - people always had some sort of reason behind their behavior - and Klark couldn't help being slightly curious.

Still, it was best to leave her alone. Getting herself into trouble was the last thing Klark needed to be doing.

Klark stared at Ontari for a brief second, then quickly shook off her thoughts before moving closer to the bed. The brunette seemed to ignore her entirely as Klark unrolled the bedroll that Roan had given her, then looked around for a blanket and sheets. Not seeing any, she sighed quietly and sat down on her bunk.

This entire situation was so unexpected that there was nothing she could do but go along with it. Klark had no control here, no power. Klark had nothing. Nothing, and all she could do was hope for the best and wait for someone to start moving so she could follow them to dinner - Roan had said that was soon, and Klark was starving.

With little else to do, Klark let her gaze slowly flit across the room.

The Sekons chamber was about as big as the council room on the Ark, and there were eight or so bunk beds that lined the walls. There were not many lights, and Klark was already thankful for the two arched windows that allowed the sunlight entry into the dim room.

She noted that there were only five people besides herself in the room at the moment, and they were all doing various activities in near silence, though a pair of boys were whispering to each other quietly. They had all stopped looking at her as well, but Klark had a feeling that it was more due to Ontari’s threatening presence above her than any lack of interest.

Even so, Klark was more comfortable now that she was not the target of their attention.

From what she could tell, there were two boys and three other girls. They each had chests under their beds, containing what she assumed to be their clothes and weapons.

Her guess proved to be correct as a girl with short black hair leaped off the top bunk of her bed and crouched down to open her chest, pulling out a sweater. Klark craned her neck discreetly and saw that it contained mostly clothes, though she noticed that there were a few knives in various pockets as well.  _What else..._

A bell rang loudly and Klark jumped, startled. She watched the other Sekons get up immediately and walk to the door, and quickly moved to do the same herself. But before she could rise fully, Ontari jumped from the bed above her and landed directly in front of Klark, ignoring her loftily as she walked over to where the others were waiting by the door.

For a reason unknown to her, they all parted to let Ontari lead them out of the room.

 _ Strange _ . 

Realizing that they were leaving without her, Klark rushed to follow the other Sekons through the castle. They were walking briskly, and she stayed at the back of the group, wondering what she was supposed to be doing. Roan had not left much direction, and Klark had no idea what the protocol was here.

Lost in her thoughts, Klark barely noticed as the girl she had been observing earlier slowed down to match her pace. It was only when she spoke that Klark came back to herself, though she didn't understand the language used. When Klark looked at her blankly, she switched to English. “I’m Alya. You’re new?”

Klark nodded. “Yeah, I’m Klark.” Alya smiled at her as they continued down the hallway. “I’ve never seen you here before, where are you from?” Klark paused, mentally berating herself for not creating an alibi. Without the time to come up with anything complex, she stuck with a vague answer. “I am from a small village by the southern border with Trikru. Prince Roan brought me here to be his Sekon."

“Is that why you only speak gonasleng?”  _ That must mean English _ _._ She nodded, hoping that Alya wouldn't question her further on the subject. Fortunately, she didn't and they walked through the hallways quietly until Klark broke the silence between them with a question of her own. “We are going to eat now, right?"

Alya nodded. "It’s what that bell meant. We eat in a different hall than the Generals, so it will be just the six of us." It was such a small amount for such a large city. Klark was curious to know more, but there were more pressing matters at hand. "What about Ontari? She's..." Klark drifted off, hoping that Alya wouldn't be inclined to tell Ontari that she had asked.

Her worry was for naught, though, and Klark was glad to see Alya sigh resignedly in preparation for her answer. "Ontari has always been...  _ difficult  _ to get along with. Like her mentor, Ontari strictly believes that all feelings are weakness, so she pushes us away as much as possible. Usually by being unpleasant or just cruel.

“We all stay away from her, and so should you. With her skills, messing with Ontari is a death wish, so I recommend staying away unless you can ensure your safety."

Roan hadn’t been exaggerating, then.

Klark didn’t know why she was disappointed.

* * *

They followed Ontari into a medium-sized room, where food was already set out on a large wooden table. Each of the other Sekons sat down in what Klark assumed to be their usual spots, so she claimed the empty seat beside Alya, across from a dark haired boy. When the other sekons immediately began to take their food, she did the same.

The room was silent, and Klark was entirely too conscious of the not-so-discreet glances she was getting. The other sekons were curious, but nobody broke the silence for several long minutes and the tension just thickened.

She saw Alya (finally) begin to open her mouth to say something, but to Klark‘s surprise, her savior came in the form of the boy seated across from her. He studied her for a moment, then extended an arm when Klark raised an eyebrow. "I'm Jack. Who are you?"

The others turned to watch their interaction, but Ontari continued to ignore everyone impassively, though Klark could tell that she was listening attentively.

She took his arm and grasped it firmly over the table. “I’m Klark. Prince Roan brought me here to be his sekon.” That peaked their interests, and the other two people she hadn’t met yet looked at her more closely this time while Jack just looked impressed. “Prince Roan is one of Azgeda’s best gonas. You must be special if  _ he _ is your first.”

Klark just shrugged, hoping that nobody would try to discover exactly  _ why _ she had been chosen. It was something to be kept hidden, and she did not know  _ what _ would happen if the Queen learned that someone else knew her secret.

Feigning normalcy, she finished her meal as Jack introduced the two unknown people at the table. She soon learned that that the blonde boy next to him was Etan and the brunette beside Alya was Katea, both of who seemed fairly amicable.

Jack glanced at Ontari, but wisely (from what she had learned) decided against introducing her and instead turned back to Klark. “So where are you from?" She launched into a vague explanation of her improvised backstory, using what little she knew of grounder culture to make it believable.

Fortunately, she did not have the time to get very far before Ontari stood up and walked out of the room, leaving them to scramble after her.

Now more comfortable in this environment, Klark started another conversation with Alya - something about the training regiment - but they were soon interrupted when Ontari stopped and moved to stand at the other side of the hallway. "Continue without me."

The other sekons hesitated before following her orders, and Klark could tell that this was not a normal occurrence. Still, she continued walking.

Well, she tried to, at least.

Klark couldn't help glancing at her, starting slightly when she saw that Ontari was already staring at her intently. It was incredibly unnerving, and she quickly looked away from that intense gaze. But her avoidance did nothing, and there was a hand clasped against her mouth before Klark could take another step.

(It smelled like pine and leather (but that  _ really _ wasn't important, Klark, what the hell).)

Unable to make a noise, she fought (or flailed at, more like) Ontari as she was pulled backward. It was futile, though not for any lack of trying on her part. Ontari was incredibly strong, just like everyone had told her.

She stumbled back gracelessly as Ontari pulled her away, not giving up as she looked to the other sekons for help. But it was to no avail, and they all quickly glanced away from her, not meeting her eyes. They weren’t going to get involved. Not with Ontari.

She should have expected that.

Ontari shoved her into some room, ignoring Klark’s muffled protest as she hit the wall roughly. She then crossed her arms and stared at Klark, who stared right back. "What the fuck do you want?"

Ontari looked at her suspiciously, nothing in her expression betraying what she was thinking. "I have known Roan my entire life. We grew up together." Klark blinked, wondering what the hell that had to do with anything. "So wh-“

"Roan does not take sekons." Ontari interrupted. " _ Ever _ . And  _ especially _ not some girl who can barely fight. So why would Roan even  _ bother _ training you?" Klark shrugged, feigning indifference as her mind raced to find an excuse.

It didn't help, and she just looked more suspicious. “Roan said you were  _ important _ , yet you do not live in Anolia, where all people of importance live. You  can't be from Azgeda, so who are you really?" Klark nearly blanched at how close she was to uncovering her secret, and frantically searched her mind for a solution.

_ Nyko. He was a doctor. What was his position called? Healer? _

That was it, her only option.

"I'm a healer, born close to the southern clans. Roan brought me with him after I saved his life, so I'm here to be trained as a sekon." Ontari looked incredulous, and Klark was certain that she didn't believe her. Granted, Klark probably wouldn't believe herself either.

But fortune seemed to be on her side for the moment, and Ontari shrugged. "Whatever. I will find the truth soon enough. For your sake, I hope you aren't lying. Death at my hands will be  _incredibly_ painful."

Klark believed her.

Ontari casually strolled to the door, and Klark (for some reason) decided to ask a question. Hopefully she wouldn't kill her. "Ontari.” She turned, perhaps surprised enough that Klark had called her back that she did nothing. Nothing but raise an eyebrow expectantly. "Why didn't you just  _ask_ to talk to me? You didn't have to ambush me or whatever the fuck that was."

Ontari’s eyes glinted dangerously and Klark was worried that she had gone too far, but Ontari looked more amused than anything. "Where’s the fun in that? You are fortunate that l did not  _ drag _ you all the way here.” She said with complete seriousness, smirking at Klark before she disappeared through the door.

Unexpected.

It was too bad that she wanted to kill Klark because of her (not entirely unwarranted) suspicion towards her presence. What could she do, though? Klark had no training and Ontari would surely kill her if she wanted to. The best option, she decided, was to train as hard as possible with Roan so that she could protect herself when she needed to.

Hoping that Ontari wouldn’t immediately seek out Roan to verify her claim, Klark stood to follow her back. Tomorrow she would start training with Roan, and she needed the sleep.

* * *

She woke to the sound of an incredibly loud bell, and the sounds of quick movements already began to fill the room behind her.  _ Right, training . _

Klark sat up and pulled off her blanket, shivering as she stepped out of her bed. Fall in Azgeda was far colder than it had been at Camp Jaha, and she was underdressed; still wearing her incredibly dirty clothes from the attack on Mount Weather.

Roan had mentioned getting clothes today, so perhaps Klark would finally get the chance to clean up.

The other sekons were in varying stages of undress as they changed into their clothes for the day. She had quickly learned that the grounders did not care for modesty like the Arkers did, but it was still strange to Klark.

She would just have to get used to it, she supposed.

Still, she averted her gaze as they were changing, putting on her shoes as a distraction while she waited for the other sekons to get ready. Ontari was not there, so once they were ready, the sekons just clustered together and walked to the castle entrance.

Stepping outside, Klark shivered once again. It was  _ cold _ , probably around late September now, though nobody had really been keeping track at Camp Jaha. They had been too occupied with surviving to care about what month it was.

The other sekons didn’t seem bothered by the temperature, though they were all wearing heavy fur coats like Roan’s, which Klark was slightly (very) envious of.

Hopefully she could get warmer clothes today.

As they left the castle, the city was laid out before them, just starting to come to life. People were emerging from their homes to do their daily tasks, and the sounds of life floated up the hill to the castle.

The thick grey clouds warned bad weather, but Anolia was beautiful, and Klark took as much of it in as she could while following the sekons down the cobbled stone street towards what looked like a permanent version of the army's camp at Mount Weather.

(She pushed away those unwanted memories.)

Tall grey stone homes with high dark wood roofs lined the streets, smoke from their fireplaces floating above the city. Klark knew that she would come to love living here, the peacefulness of the beautiful city already holding a palace in her heart.

Klark may have been forced to come here against her will, but Anolia was going to be her home now and she was grateful for the chance to live. Especially in such a beautiful place.

The war camp was very different than the city. Though there were some permanent buildings, there were many different tents of the various sizes. Not many gonas were out yet, but Klark noticed that the ones she did see were all incredibly muscled.

Unlike the city, the camp was full of the sounds of an army awakening. She heard the sounds of a hammer hitting metal, and the sizzling of the several cook fires that dotted the area. There were some shouts in the distance and a thud, then loud boisterous cheering rang out.  _ Training area, then. _

Klark had never actually been inside a war camp before, and she was startled to find that already she felt quite at home here.

They walked past a training pit where a huge man had just won a fight, a large crowd of gonas standing around the dirt covered pit at the center. Loud cheering filled the air as another man was pushed into the center to face the victor. 

Klark looked back over her shoulder to see what happened next, but the bottom of the pit was already out of view. They continued on for a minute, then arrived at the top of another pit.

The sekons training pit was the same size as the other one, but it was empty save for five people, Roan amongst them. Klark assumed that the four people beside him were the firsts of the other sekons - though where Ontari and her first were was beyond her.

They descended down the stone steps to reach the bottom, and after following Ayla’s lead, she stopped in front of Roan as the others stopped in front of their mentors. One of the firsts, a huge man, yelled something in the grounder language and everyone sprinted away.

Klark looked at Roan expectantly. “You'll be doing that soon enough,” he said, “but today you’ll be learning the basics. We don't have time for the long run and that they are doing.” She nodded and Roan grinned, looking far too exited.

He pointed at the stand of weapons. “Grab a wooden training sword and let's see what you can do.”

Klark walked over to the stand at the edge of the ring and lifted two swords, picking the one that felt the best. She turned back around and walked back to where Roan was waiting, holding her sword tightly in her right hand.

Now that they were alone, she was less worried about the other sekons judging her lack of skill with a sword, and more worried about her actual lack of skill with a sword. 

Though Klark had been trained in self-defense on the Ark, her training had only included hand to hand combat. Still, perhaps she could incorporate those skills into her sword fighting somehow...

Instead of pulling out his own sword, Roan simply said, “hit me.” Seeing the look that Klark gave him, Roan rolled his eyes and explained what he was talking about. “I’m not going to fight you until you can land a hit on me. Once you can do that, we can start combat training.”

All she had to do was hit him.  _Okay_. _This shouldn't be too hard._ Klark ran at him, stabbing her wooden sword towards his stomach.

She missed.

He had dodged out of the way, and far too easily for Klark's liking. Determined to  _ actually _ land a strike, she continued to swing (futilely) in his direction until he said to stop, several minutes later.

Roan grabbed her wooden sword and moved her hand into a different position. “Your grip is wrong.” It  _ did _ feel better to hold it this way. “Instead of just trying to hit me aimlessly, you must use your head. Think of a tactic and try it out. Be precise. Your life could depend on your ability to think quickly one day.” Roan let go of her sword and stepped back. “Remember. Think before you move.”

This time, Klark studied him before moving. Though she had no training with a sword, her combat skills were not awful and her mind worked well in tough situations. She would just have to anticipate his movements in order to catch him.

Klark walked forward slowly, quickly scanning him from head to toe.

Roan was leaning slightly on his left foot, so this time she braced herself to follow him in that direction.

Klark lunged forward quickly, sword aimed at his stomach once more. This time, as Roan stepped to the left, she followed, her sword getting much closerto him than last time. Roan stepped back and nodded in encouragement. “Good. You were closer this time. Again.”

Doing the same as the previous time, Klark studied his body language in preparation for her attack. Lunging once more, she stepped to the right, matching his movements. As he spun out of the way, she jabbed him in the stomach with her sword.

He looked at her with surprise. “That was quick. Maybe you will be a good warrior after all.” Stepping past her, Roan grabbed his own wooden sword and swung it around. “Now, follow my lead.” 

He shifted into a long sequence of movements, sword twisting around his body at an incredible speed. Klark blinked, hesitating before she tried (and foiled) to follow his movements.

More impressed with what he had just done than affected by her inability to do the same, Klark looked on in awe as Roan finished the sequence and stopped with his sword pointing out towards an invisible opponent.

He turned back, not visibly out of breath by the exertion. “That was a training sequence called the dragon dance. It is traditionally taught to only the most skilled gonas, but I have found that the dragon dance is an excellent training tool. It is also done with a partner, but you will do it alone until you have it mastered.”

He led her through the sequence once more, which Klark slowly fumbled her way through. It was difficult, but she could feel her muscles slowly becoming more comfortable with the movements.

Once he was satisfied with the small amount of progress that she had made, they put the swords back and Roan tested her skills in the various different weapons he had set out.

She immediately hated the weight of the large battle axe, but Klark found that she was decent at knife throwing. She threw the knives over and over until her arms were sore. But, with some work, Roan said that she would soon excel at using them.

They finally stopped, hours later, and Roan showed her to a large campfire where huge strips of meat were slowly being cooked.

A large group of people stood around the fire talking loudly as they walked up. Klark had been worried that people would notice her, but it was for naught. Nobody gave them a second glance, and Klark let the tension out of her body, relaxing in this new environment.

Though she knew firsthand that gonas could be incredibly frightening, right now they were just people eating their lunch with their companions, and she felt more comfortable in their presence than she had during the war.

That was good. Klark would need to be comfortable in an army setting if she wanted to succeed here. 

Roan nodded at the large man who was rolling the strips through the fire and grabbed two of the long sticks, handing one to Klark as they walked back towards the training pit.

She studied it hesitantly, pushing back the immediate thoughts of Mount Weather before she took a bite of the steaming meat. She blinked, the new flavors startlingly different than any food she had ever eaten.

There had been no flavored food on the Ark, and at the dropship they had just eaten whatever meat they could hunt, as well as some random nuts and berries. This was far better than that, which she appreciated.

She devoured the her lunch as they walked, and was done far before they reached the training pit. She threw the stick to the side before they descended the stairs and Roan stepped over to the rack of weapons and took out the two wooden swords once again.

He led her through the same sequence of moves as earlier - the dragon dance, she recalled - which was just as difficult to follow as the first time. He had her do it ten times over until her arms were shaking from holding the sword out for so long.

She refrained from flopping onto the ground like she desired, wanting to maintain some semblance of dignity, though Roan had literally seen her fall off a horse and land on her face so Klark didn't know why she bothered.

There was no one around who would care.

Roan handed her a canteen of water, which she drank gladly, then led her out of the now fully awake and functioning war camp and into the city. It was far more crowded than she had observed in the morning, and the simple bustle of the people of Anolia was strangely peaceful.

People were simply living their lives without the constant threat of war looming over their shoulders. She gazed at them jealously as they walked past, wishing she could live a peaceful life for once.

Why the fuck had she ended up with this one?

They stopped at a small shop where an old woman fitted Klark for her new clothes. Once she got the measurements, she turned to Roan. “My prince, the first snow will fall soon. Will you have me make her a fur coat as well?” Instead of agreeing like Klark expected, Roan shook his head. “No, my sekon will be collecting the fur for her own coat.”

The woman nodded easily, obviously used to this affair as Klark raised her eyebrows at Roan, which he ignored. “Very well. The clothes will be ready by dusk tonight, but I do have an available pair of shoes right now.” She glanced down at Klark‘s torn up shoes before raising her eyebrows questioningly at Roan.

She couldn't even be offended as Roan nodded in agreement and the woman handed Klark a pair of fur lined boots - her current shoes would never last the winter.

* * *

They walked back up the street to the castle and Roan dismissed her for the day, allowing her time to rest before dinner. She turned and followed the hallway to the sekons chambers, while Roan went in the opposite direction to where she assumed his own chambers were.

Etan was the only other person in the room when she arrived, and he looked up from his book to nod at her in greeting, then went back to reading.

Far too exhausted to do anything else, Klark laid on her bed and waited for the dinner bell to ring as the other sekons slowly trickled in, done with their training. When Ontari arrived, she didn’t say a word, but glared at Klark as she made her way over to their bunk bed.

She obviously didn't trust her, though Klark assumed that she also had some other reason to dislike her. Still, Klark had no idea why Ontari hated her  so much, but she would have to be very careful around her.

They went to the sekons dining hall for dinner, which was as delicious as yesterday, and ate in complete silence. Klark just looked out of the window from her seat and noticed that the sun was starting to set, the bright pink and purple sky illuminating the grey outer walls of the castle.

It was beautiful, and Klark wished that she could draw it.

She looked at the sunset longingly, not noticing Ontari’s glare, but she did not have the time to admire it for long as the other sekons soon stood up to leave the room.

As she walked behind Ontari towards their bunkbed, she noticed that there was another chest next to hers.  _ Finally _ . She opened it while Ontari climbed onto her bunk and saw that there were several pairs of various shirts and pants, as well as some underwear and socks. She chose the ones that felt the softest to use as sleepwear, then quickly changed out of her dirty clothes.

As she put on her shirt, Klark’s heart  dropped when she realized that she was still wearing an Arker style bra. Not only would it be glaringly obvious that she was not from Azgeda if anyone had noticed, as all grounder women used a tight wrap style and not the old world ones that the Arkers still used, it would also be incredibly embarrassing if _that_ was how she was discovered.  


Not good, not good at all.

She quickly looked around at the other bunks, but nobody was paying her any attention. Klark relaxed for a moment, then remembered her bunk mate.

Klark hesitated, then slowly looked up and met the dark eyes of the last person on Earth that she wanted to know her secret.

_Shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was mostly setting the scene for the next chapters, (and the *action* whoo) and giving some insight to Klark’s first day in Azgeda. Fun stuff, and the time jumps start next chapter! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and please leave comments/ kudos if you liked it! (I work so much faster when I know that there are people who still want to read my story lol.)
> 
> Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klark is less battle worn then she is in present time, hence a less solemn Klark than in the first 2 chapters. But just wait... Klark has some *fun* character building in future chapters ;)

Three years ago: September 2149

** Klark **

Ontari was looking directly at her, eyes already narrowed in suspicion.  _Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ Klark tensed, her own eyes widening slightly as Ontari stared down at her intensely. They held eye contact for what felt like hours, and she opened her mouth to say something,  _anything_ to end this terrifying moment.

But before she could make a sound, Ontari launched herself off her bunk straight at Klark, tackling her to the ground.

Dazed, Klark struggled to get up, but Ontari was sitting on her chest pinning her arms and legs down. She struggled against the hold as Ontari glared down at her suspiciously. “What are you-” Klark was cut off as Ontari suddenly stood and grabbed her arm, literally dragging her out of the room.

She certainly wasn’t holding back now - not like she had (apparently) been doing last night.

The cold stone floor scratched against her back as she squirmed, trying to get out of Ontari’s incredibly tight hold on her forearm. (She would certainly have bruises if she survived this.) As she was dragged through the room, Klark looked to the other sekons for help, but they all just stared in shock, not moving to help her at all.

She was alone with Ontari once again.

Ontari dragged her all the way out of the room and down the long hall, then stopped near the end. Klark felt herself drop onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, only for Ontari to lift her up by the collar of her shirt and shove her into the wall, a knife pressed firmly against her neck.

_ Where did that come from?! _

They stared at each other, Klark looking slightly up to meet her eyes. “Who  _ are  _ you?” Ontari growled menacingly, her face way too close to Klark’s to be comfortable. “I’m Kla-“ “Don’t  _ lie _ to me!” she shouted “I know you aren’t Azgeda. I saw your clothes. Who are you really?” 

Feeling a drop of blood slide down her neck, she gave up on the lies. Ontari was far too perceptive to be so easily deceived, and Klark would rather live past tonight. She would be truthful, though it was not as if she had any real choice in the matter, and hopefully Ontari wouldn't decide to kill her for the power of Wanheda.

“I used to be Clarke Griffin, the leader of Skaikru. Roan kidnapped me and brought me here for Queen Nia in exchange for the lifting ot his banishment.”

Whatever Ontari had been expecting, that was not it.

Incredulous, she lessened the knife’s pressure against Klark’s neck marginally. “Skaikru?  _ You _ were the leader of Skaikru?” Klark could already see her making the connection between who had destroyed the Mountain and the Skaikru, so she continued. It wasn’t like she could go anywhere, anyways. “They call me Wanheda since I killed all of the Mountain Men.”

Ontari stepped back, letting Klark fall to the floor gracelessly. She looked down at her, very clearly doubting her claim. “ _Wanheda_? I saw you training. You fight at the level of a child, and an untrained one at that. There is no way that  _ you  _ are the destroyer of the Mountain.”

Well that was flattering. When had Ontari been at the training pit, anyways? She scowled at Ontari’s incredulous expression from her position on the floor, unexplainably protective of her new (and unwanted) title. “I didn’t need to fight! Not all wars are fought with swords, you know. Plus, all I did was pull the lever that killed everyone.” Ontari looked like she disagreed, but didn’t comment on it.

“Fine, let’s say you  _ are _ Wanheda. How did you even get here?” she asked, nose wrinkling in confusion. “Its only been three days since the mountain fell - Roan shouldn’t have been able to even get to you.” Faintly embarrassed, though she still did not regret her decision to leave Skaikru, Klark glanced away. “He caught me because I left my people.”

She glanced back to see her reaction, and barely held in a laugh at the comical expression on Ontari’s face.

“You  _ left?  _ What, you just walked away from your people?” Klark nodded, grimacing slightly. “Among other reasons, I needed a break from acting like their mother. I was going to go back eventually, but Roan captured me and brought me to Azgeda before that could happen.”

Ontari looked astonished at that, laughing incredulously. “You do realize that the entire  _ coalition _ is hunting for you right now, right? Even the Commander has sent out several search parties, and you have  _ already _ been captured. And by Azgeda, no less. The Commander will be furious once she finds out.”  _ What? It’s only been three days, how does she already know that I’m not with my people? _

Klank scowled at the mention of Lexa, and Ontari raised an eyebrow. “ _ Oh _ , you don’t like her much,  _ do you _ _?_ I think we both know why that is.”

_ News travels fast here. _

Klark laughed humorlessly, only slightly less concerned for her safety now that Ontari knew the truth - though she did not seem very inclined to take her 'power’. “She left us to die, so I had to kill every single person in the Mountain to save my people. Of course I don’t like her very much right now.”

Klark could tell that Ontari didn’t understand why that was an issue, so she continued reluctantly, not wanting to remember the events that had occurred that day. “There were innocents there too. They didn’t deserve to die.”

Ontari looked at her blankly, as if she still didn’t understand why that was a bad thing. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re all dead anyways.” She sighed, “But yes, I’m from Skaikru.”

Ontari stared at her thoughtfully. “So that’s why you don't speak our language?” Klark nodded emphatically from her position on the floor, but Ontari  _ still _ looked reluctant to believe her. "So you just lied? Everything you said yesterday was just made up on the spot?"

"No, some of it was true. I  _ was _ training to be a healer, just not in Azgeda.” When she still didn't look convinced, Klark rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It’s not like I had a  _ choice _ , Ontari. Queen Nia wants it to remain a secret so its not like I could just tell you. Go ask Roan yourself if you don't believe me."

Roan would not like that Ontari had discovered her secret so soon, but there was nothing they could do now.

She knew. She knew and there was nothing they could do about it. 

Ontari looked down at Clarke for a moment as she processed her words, then slipped her knife into her pocket. Klark blinked as she then stuck an arm out, and though she was reluctant to accept  _ her _ help, Klark knew better than to ignore such a gesture.

So Klark took the offered arm and pulled herself to her feet, immediately stumbling back a step after she almost smashed her face into Ontari’s, unused to the force that she used.

Unphased, Ontari smirked at her. It was a frightening expression, but it held (slightly) less malice than before so Klark remained hopeful. “I don’t trust you, Klark, and I  _ never _ will.” She paused, and Klark held her breath anxiously as she continued. " _ But _ , if you are who you say - and I  _ will _ be checking - then you may live." Ontari shrugged, expression unreadable once again. "Queen Nia would have my head if I killed someone so valuable to Azgeda.”

Klark released a breath of air, sagging slightly in relief. It didn't matter that the only reason she had decided to spare Klark was because of the Queen - it was better than dying. She stood up slowly, prodding at the bruise that was already forming on her arm.

Ontari raised an eyebrow, entirely unremorseful, and Klark wasn’t surprised - she didn't seem like the type of person to ever regret her actions. Klark could admit that she hadn’t shown Ontari any reason that she could be trusted, so she would deal with it as best she could.

“Good. Can we go back now? I’m tired and you literally just dragged me down this entire hallway. What the hell, by the way?” Ontari looked extremely smug, not deigning to answer as they walked back together.

Before they reached the door, Ontari broke the silence with a  _ very _ kind comment. “You smell like a pig. You  _ do _ know that there is a bathhouse, right?” Klark stopped, ignoring the insulting remark because she  _ did  _ smell horrible after spending a week outside.

“Where?” Ontari stopped a few steps ahead and looked back. “The sekons bathhouse is down that hall to the right.” She said, pointing at a hallway that connected to the one that they were on.

At Klark’s expression, she snorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Don’t look so desperate. We bathe every day. What did you think the extra time before bed was for? Relaxation?” She laughed. “There’s no water now, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Klark looked at the hall longingly, but grudgingly followed Ontari back to the sekons rooms instead.

As they walked across the room to their bunk, she glanced at the other sekons. They all pretended like nothing had happened, busying themselves with random activities. Jack was the only one who would meet her eyes, and she could tell that he felt at least slightly guilty for not doing anything.

That was something, at least.

The rest of the night passed without issue as Klark and Ontari settled on their respective levels, and as she laid on her bed in the darkness, Klark‘s thoughts went to her people. Or her former people, she supposed. Either way, they were likely scouring the forests for her, but Klark knew that they would never find her here.

Klark was hundreds of miles away from Camp Jaha, and she’d left on foot. The Skaikru would never imagine that she could be this far. They would never guess that she would leave them either, so they would probably stop searching within a few months once they thought she was dead.

It actually wouldn’t be impossible for Klark to escape Azgeda one day as she gained more freedom here, but the strange thing was, Klark didn’t _ want _ to go back. Now that she was relatively safe, Klark wanted a different life than being the leader of Skaikru could bring. A life without having to constantly supervise her people as if they were mere children instead of functioning adults. When even the most obvious decisions had to be debated by a council of conceited adults who constantly undermined the very society that they represented.

No, Klark would not return to Skaikru. She had been given the chance to start over in Azgeda and accomplish everything for herself, and she was not going to waste it.

Klark had truly cared for some of the delinquents - especially Octavia, Raven, Jasper, Monty and even Bellamy - but she was better off without them. Though she would miss the easy familiarity in which they interacted, her friends were not a good enough reason to make Klark stay where she wasn’t happy. The amount of rules at Camp Jaha had been suffocating in the short time that she had been there, and she couldn’t suffer through living life on the ground as if they were still in space.

Klark could not stay with Skaikru anymore, not now that she knew that there were places like Anolia in the world. She would try to ensure that Azgeda didn’t attack them, but that was all Klark would do for her former people.

She was Klark kom Azgeda now. Clarke Griffin, the leader of Skaikru, was gone.

* * *

Klark quickly pulled on her boots, sighing as Ontari appeared in front of her, signature smirk already in place. “You’ve got a little  _ something _ ... there,” she said, gesturing at Klark’s neck, where the painful reminder of last nights events was displayed.

Klark glared up at her. “ _ Really? _ I had no idea” She replied sarcastically, stubbornly ignoring the dull ache that talking brought. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

Ontari seemed to brighten at her sarcasm, eyes narrowing with humor as her smirk widened. “Anytime,” she replied with equal sarcasm, though Klark knew that she probably  _ would  _ follow through with it it she so desired. Ontari then proceeded to exit the room, ignoring the other sekons that were watching their interaction with strange expressions on their faces.

The last traces of night still hadn’t faded away, and the darkness lingered on the edges of the horizon as they walked down the road towards they war camp. Though the city was mostly silent, the war camp was already filled with the sound of early morning activities.

Gonas milled about, eating breakfast around various cook fires or conversing with each other. The sounds of cheering rang across the camp, marking the beginning of another fight in the training pits.

The dirt street crunched against their boots as they walked through the war camp, and they soon descended down the steps of the training pit to stand in front of their mentors. One of them, a huge man, yelled something and everyone took off running.

Klark looked to Roan who nodded his head in the direction that everyone had gone. “Go. It’s a clear path, you should be able to follow it.” She swiftly turned and ran up the stairs to the top the pit. After a brief second of looking, Klark found the start of the path at the edge of the war camp, and she ran towards it.

As she ran down the path, Klark noticed that it must lead to the perimeter of the entire city. She didn't know the exact distance, but based on the large size of the city, she guessed that it would be over four miles. Klark could see the other sekons in the distance, but she had started late and was considerably slower. She wouldn’t catch up to them today. 

She weaved between various obstacles, nearly running into several people on her route around the city. There were other people running too, so she assumed that this path was used for daily exercise if they couldn’t leave the city. Most of them were obviously gonas training, but there were a few who just seemed like ordinary citizens.

Klark was fortunate that she had been forced to exercise on the Ark, because it felt like hours until she finally got back to the end of the path. She continued running to the training pit, not wanting to seem weak in front of everyone else, but they were all gone when she arrived.

Roan was hacking at a wooden bust with his sword, only stopping to turn to her after she got to the bottom of the stairs. Klark sat down, exhausted. Though she couldn’t have been running for more than forty minutes, her legs were aching from the strenuous exercise.

“Good work. You’re faster than I expected, but you’re going to be doing a lot more running than that soon, so brace yourself.” She nodded tiredly, unable to speak just yet. “Grab some water, then start the dragon dance.” Klark did as she was told, drinking a full cup of water from the pitcher before she grabbed a wooden sword and walked to stand in the ring.

Klark didn’t remember most of the sequence, but she started at the beginning with the more simple movements that she remembered. Lunging out with her right foot, she slowly twisted through the air to stand with her sword pointed out like an extension of her arm. Twirling it above her head, she brought it back down in an ark as she stepped forward, walking in a semicircle around where her partner would be.

She swung the sword in an intricate maneuver while quickly jumping back two steps, then Klark paced around her imaginary partner, swinging her sword through several movements that would one day sync with her partners, though the swords would never touch. Roan joined in after a few minutes, doing the same movements as her so that it was not the full dance that one would do with a partner.

She followed his movements, pushing her strength and dexterity to the limit. It was incredibly difficult, but she could feel her skills with the sword slowly improving through the constant movement.

* * *

After they finished the dance a second time, Roan started to say something but was interrupted by a slow clapping. Klark turned towards the source of the sound to find Ontari walking towards them. _ Of course it’s her. Why isn’t she training like everyone else? _

“ Teaching her the dragon dance already, Roan? Isn’t that too difficult for a  _sky girl?_ ”  Well. That was one way to tell Roan that she knew Klark’s secret.

He turned to Klark angrily. “You told  _ her _ _?!_ What the hell, Klark, don’t you have any self preservation?” Klark widened her eyes at Ontari in exasperation. “ _Seriously_ ,  Ontari ?”  Ontari just smirked, unphased, looking very smug at at herself for disrupting their training.

Klark could deal with Ontari later, though, so she turned to Roan to explain. “I didn't have a choice,” she said quickly, “Ontari saw my Skaikru clothes and attacked me.”

Roan looked at Klark incredulously. “What Skaikru clothes? You were still wearing your clothes from the war...” Ontari looked incredibly disappointed. “So it’s true then. You  _ are _ Wanheda?” Klark snorted. “Obviously.”

“ _Obviously_ ,”  Ontari replied snidely, shocking Klark with her childishness. “Yeah,  _ obviously _ !” Klark snarked back at her, not about to deal with her shit now that Ontari couldn’t kill her. “I told you last night, idiot .  It’s not my fault you didn't trust me.”

Looking outraged (and slightly amused), Ontari crossed her arms. “You could have been lying. How was I supposed to trust you?” she shot back, and Klark rolled her eyes. “You literally had me pinned to the wall with a knife to my throat. Why the hell would I lie?”

Ontari smirked at that, raising her eyebrows. “Yes I did have you pinned to the wall with a knife to your throat. What about it?”

“What do you mean, ‘ _what about it?_ ’ You- what was I supposed to do? Lie to your face and hope you weren’t stupid enough to fall for it?”

Instead of yelling back, Ontari just leaned forward and whispered, “ _ Yes _ .”  _Ohmygod_.  Klark could feel her face heating up as she leaned her head back, and ran her fingers through her hair in disbelief. “Ugh! You’re so-“ Ontari crossed her arms, self-satisfied smirk widening even farther. “I’m so what? Amazing?”

“Wha- No!” Klark’s face was in flames as they continued to bicker, and Ontari looked unbearably smug, her expression victorious.

Roan ignored them both and continued to think deeply as they argued. Klark opened her mouth to reply to another one of Ontari’s comments when Roan interrupted her. “Wait. Ontari figured out that you weren’t Azgeda because she saw your Skaikru underwear?”

They both stared at him as mirth spread across his face, comprehension of Klark’s predicament only having just dawned on on him.

He guffawed loudly, head thrown back. “That is the most idiotic reason to get caught,  _ever_ ,  Klark. Discovered because of underwear!” She flushed even brighter - though she could admit that the whole situation was quite amusing now that her life wasn’t being threatened. “And Ontari! Why the hell were are you looking at Klark’s underwear?”

“She sleeps below me,” Ontari replied easily. "I could see her from my bunk.” But Klark could see a light flush on her cheeks, and Roan smirked at Ontari, wiggling his eyebrows. “ _Really?_ Is that why?” Her face turned red, though Klark didn't understand why.

“Why are you here, Ontari,” said Roan, now mostly recovered from his laughter. “Surely you didn't come all the way here just to annoy us.” Ontari turned and grabbed an actual sword from the weapons rack. “I came to train. My first is away on a mission so I have a free week. Annoying you is just a bonus.”

Roan drew his own sword and stepped forward. “Well if you’re not doing anything, do the dragon dance with me. Klark needs to see what it’s supposed to look like.” 

He paused, then added, “You still remember it, right?” Ontari snorted. “Of course I still know it. You haven’t been gone  _ that _ long.” Roan smiled, eyes narrowing in a challenge. “Good. Let’s do it at full speed, then.”

Ontari simply raised her eyebrows and stepped forward to stand in the center of the ring, just a pace from Roan. “You better move, sky girl, unless you want to get stabbed.” She called out, and Klark did as she said, rolling her eyes at the name as she moved to sit on the steps.

Roan and Ontari stood at the center of the clearing, their swords pointed at the ground. They both stared at each other, then suddenly sprung into action, swinging their swords around each other in constant movement. Every movement Roan made, Ontari did the opposite as they moved through the sequence at an incredible pace.

Their swords never touched, but instead spun around each other. Roan and Ontari’s footsteps moved in unison, hitting the ground at the exact same time to create a fast beat. It was incredible to watch as they twisted around each other, swords flashing through the air almost too fast to see, yet somehow never colliding.

One wrong move could end in death, yet they never faltered from their movements. She watched closely, completely captivated by the display of skill. Ontari might be... Ontari, but there was no denying her abilities with the sword. Klark would have to work incredibly hard to even get  _ near _ to their level.

When they finally stopped, swords held pointed at each others faces, they were both breathing heavily. Roan looked slightly...  _ proud _ _?_ “I taught you well,” he said to Ontari, who’s mouth quirked into what Klark might describe as a smile were it anyone else. _ Did she just smile? I thought they hated each other?  _ “I suppose, though I taught much of it to myself while you were banished.” 

She made a note to herself to ask Roan about that later.

Ontari turned to face Klark, raising her eyebrows. “You're welcome for the demonstration. Maybe one day you'll be as good as me.” She laughed and walked over to the targets, grabbing some throwing knives. “I am going to train she called out over her shoulder, "The two of you can go back to whatever you were doing before I graced you with my presence.”

Roan rolled his eyes and turned back to Klark as Ontari walked away. “You remember everything I told you in the forest?" Klark nodded slowly, wondering where this conversation was going. "As you have seen, she is more than capable of doing as I said." That was more than true - Klark had seen her abilities firsthand.

"But, now that she knows your identity, Ontari won't hurt you." Klark raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, sure that she would not just  stop . "Well...", He amended. "She won't  _ kill _ you. Ontari knows the consequences of such actions." She  _ had _ said that Queen Nia would have her head, after all. "You may do as you like, but just know that you no longer need to stay away to ensure your safety."

When Klark nodded in understanding, Roan moved to stand beside the rack of weapons, quickly changing the topic of conversation. "Now that you know what the dragon dance is supposed to look like, you know what we are working towards. We will continue to do it each day until you have the dance mastered, but right now we are going to work on your skills with each of these weapons,” he said, gesturing to the wide array on the rack.

Klark made a face. There was easily over fifteen different kinds of weapons laid out.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Many hours later, Klark had finally learned the basics of each weapon. Though she missed the easy simplicity in which she could shoot a gun, something about weapons training was very gratifying. Maybe it was the fact that actual skill was necessary in order to succeed.

The day had passed slowly, but it was now late afternoon and she was even more exhausted. Ontari had left around midday, and Klark and Roan had trained in near silence since then, the quiet disrupted only by the occasional exchange of words or direction for the new weapon that she was using.

Klark found that she was quite comfortable around Roan and they got along well, not minding the easy silence that hung between them.

As they left the training pit and walked through the war camp, Klark finally took the chance to ask Roan about Ontari. “I noticed that you and Ontari seem to know each other well. Why did you tell me to stay away from her?”

Roan sighed. “We grew up together, but were never very close as Ontari spent all her time training. Several years ago, my first taught me the dragon dance. After his death, I was one of the most proficient at it, so General Arah had me teach it to Ontari to further her training. I was banished during that time, but she managed to master it without me.”

“We get along, but I wouldn’t dare to call her a friend. I warned you to stay away because she was dangerous. She still  is, but not to you anymore. If anything, my mother will tie your lives together to ensure that Ontari does nothing to harm you. The both of you are far too important to lose, so Ontari would be more likely to  save your life than take it."

 _ That’s good. _ “I don’t think I’m able to stay away from her. It’s like she’s everywhere.” Roan laughed. “She does enjoy creating trouble, but Ontari isn’t that bad once she decides that whatever relationship you have isn’t a weakness.”

He glanced over at her as they neared the castle. “She thinks that feelings are a weakness, but if Ontari decides that whatever she feels is beneficial to herself, then she’ll let herself feel it. From what I have seen, friendship is something she is particularly against, so she just pushes everyone away to prevent herself from ever trusting them. Even me, who she has known her entire life.”

_Woah_.  Klark laughed to herself humorlessly. “What is it with me and people who hate feelings?” Roan (understandably) didn’t know what she was talking about, which was good. Queen Nia didn’t need to know that the Commander had felt anything for her, especially since Klark knew what had happened to the last person Lexa had cared for.

They walked through the castle door and went their separate ways. Klark hurried to her bunk, desperately wanting to clean up. Klark knelt down beside her bunk to open her chest to get a clean change of clothes, pausing when she realized that she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Klark looked around the room for someone to ask, and spotted Alya laying on her bunk. She had been nice enough, so Klark walked over to ask. “Hey Alya. Could you show me where the baths are? I’m not sure what to do.”

Alya nodded readily and slipped to her feet. “Sure. Grab your towel and a change of clothes and come with me.” Klark‘s eyebrows furrowed, but she went back to her bunk to look for a towel in her chest anyway, surprising herself when she found one at the bottom.

Surprised that she hadn’t noticed it before, Klark closed her chest and walked to the doorway where Alya was waiting.

* * *

Klark and Alya walked down the hallway that she had been dragged down the previous night, then turned left to continue down another hallway. Alya led her to a door a few paces down, and she stopped by the the entrance. “This is the sekons bathing chamber. I think there are a few people in there already, but there is enough room for everyone.”

She turned and walked away before Klark could ask what she meant by ‘a few people in there’. Klark really  _ really  _ hoped that she didn’t mean there was only one bath. She braced herself for the worst and pushed open the door.

Stepping into the wood paneled room, the air was heavy with steam, which clouded her vision. Klark could faintly see what looked like a large old world hot tub that was filled with soapy water. She could see both boys sitting a few feet from each other in the water, and Katea was at the other end, all three of them facing away from her. The bubbly water went to their shoulders so she couldn’t see anything else.

They had to be wearing  _ something _ , though, right? The voice in her head told her no, but she ignored the logic and instead prayed to whatever divine being was out there.  _ Please please please be wearing clothes. _

As Klark was debating leaving to find some other way to clean up, Ontari walked in the door behind her. She would have cared if Ontari thought her weak a minute ago, but that was the last thing on her mind now.

“Is there only one bath?!” Klark squeaked out as Ontari appeared by her side, avoiding eye contact as Ontari looked at her incredulously. “Of course. “Did you not use communal baths in Skaikru?”

Klark shook her head frantically. “There’s no water in space. I don’t even know how to swim!” Ontari stared at her in disbelief, then laughed. “You can’t swim?” “No! You know what, I’m just going to leave. I’ll find some other way to clean up.” She turned to leave, intent on following through with just that, but was pulled back suddenly.

Ontari had grabbed her arm, turning Klark back to face her and the tub. “You smell like shit. There’s no way I am sleeping near you when you smell like that.” Klark looked at her, debating whether she should run for it or not.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sekons that were in the tub all stand up and grab their towels, and -  _ Oh fuck, they’re naked. They’re naked. Oh my god. _

Her eyes widened as she immediately averted her vision, face turning red. “I’m not going to take a bath with other people!” Ontari just looked at her as if calculating something, an amused smirk lighting her face. “If you don’t take off your fucking clothes right now and get in, I will do it myself. And it will _not_ be fun for you.”

_ She wouldn’t... right? _

Ontari continued when Klark didn't move. “You’ll have to get used to it anyways, so you are going to start right away.” Did she really have to make everything horrible? Klark glanced at the door, gauging the distance she would need to go. Ontari would doubtlessly force her to get in no matter what, but Klark had an idea. It was incredibly stupid but at least it would be funny.

“ _ Fine _ _!_ Whatever, I’ll get in.” Klark pulled off her sweater and put it on the ground, stepping towards the pool. She stood by the edge and looked down at the water, waiting for Ontari to doubtlessly try and push her in.

When she  _ did _ eventually step closer, because of course she did, Klark pretended to be unaware until she saw Ontari’s arm move in the corner of her eye. Then she quickly stepped to the side and, shoved her into the hot tub.

Ontari let out an undignified sound (one that she would later deny making) and hit the water flailing, still fully clothed. Klark ran out of the room and started down the hallway, laughing hysterically. Whatever Ontari did next would hurt, but it was worth it. She wouldn't die, at least. 

She heard a few quick footsteps behind her, then she hit the ground in a heap. Klark rolled over to see a very wet Ontari standing above her, and she cackled at her expression. “You look like a drowned rat. Oh my god.”

(Klark had no regrets.)

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Ontari quite literally growled and grabbed her leg, dragging Klark back down the hallway. Klark was unable to stop laughing as she was dragged down the hall and into the bathing room, bracing herself for the inevitable feel of water.

Ontari stopped dragging her by the edge of the bath, dropping her leg roughly. She lifted Klark up by her shirt collar - again - and Klark stuck out her tongue insolently before she threw her into the bath.

She landed upside down in the water, spinning a few times. Klark then remembered that she couldn’t swim, but the water  _ had _ seemed shallow enough to stand in. Hoping for the best, she moved her feet and made contact with the ground. Relieved, Klark stood up easily. Needing Ontari to save her would have been incredibly embarrassing.

Ontari was standing on the wall above Klark with her arms crossed triumphantly. They stared at each other for a moment and the lump of soap that was in Ontari’s hair quivered. Klark pressed her lips together tightly at that, nearly shaking with silent laughter.

They stayed silent for a long moment, then burst out laughing in unison. “You look so stupid!” Ontari crowed, laughing loudly. Klark scoffed. “So do you, bitch! You’ve got soap in your hair.” Ontari just jumped into the bath next to Klark, fully clothed as well.

A minute later, Klark sighed and reluctantly pulled off her shirt. She was already in the water, so she might as well. Not looking at Ontari, she pulled off the rest of her clothes underwater.

Ontari was (unfortunately) right. She would have to get used to nudity if she was to live here. Modesty was not a luxury that sekons were afforded.

“That wasn’t that bad, right?” Ontari called out, and Klark snorted. “I’m going to have a rash on my back for the next  _ week _ . That’s the second time you’ve dragged me across the floor and I’ve only been here for  _ two days _ . Is this going to become regular occurrence?"

She could just tell Ontari was smirking.  


They might not get along well, but it was times like this that made Klark wonder why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andd the last of the world building + establishing klark & Ontaris relationship is complete! Whoo!! Time to get into the action *cue evil laugh* 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and leave comments/kudos if you liked it!


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